


Shield High

by Gwenjamin



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Angst, Angst and Humor, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Deaf Clint Barton, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Minor Character Death, Minor Gamora/Peter Quill, Minor Jane Foster/Thor, Multi, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 28,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22432114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gwenjamin/pseuds/Gwenjamin
Summary: The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and some other marvel characters in high schoolThere's chaos, angst, fluff and more
Relationships: Bobbi Morse/Original Male Character(s), Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Kate Bishop/America Chavez, Loki/Sigyn (Marvel), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

Clint woke up to the bright sunlight through the window. He groaned. It was the first day of school.

He stepped into the shower. A few minutes into the shower, he heard a dying beeping noise. 

_Sh*t._ He must have left his hearing aids in while he slept. And that was his only pair.

He finished his shower and got dressed. Why _today_ of all the days had he left his hearing aids in? He sighed. Tony could make him new ones, but he would have to get through an entire school day, maybe more. He would just have to deal with it, for now.

He walked down the hall, trying not to make a sound, which was difficult because he couldn't hear anything. He stepped into the kitchen, sighing with relief when he saw his father passed out on the couch. Clint didn't want any extra bruises. He grabbed a granola bar and hurriedly walked out the front door.

On the front doorstep, Clint saw a package. He looked closer and saw that it was addressed to _him_. There was a note attached to it.

_Hey, bird boy,_

_I had a feeling you needed an extra pair_

_-The mechanic_

Clint rolled his eyes. Tony had recently started calling himself the mechanic. Trying to be anonymous. It didn't work. Clint opened the box. Inside were 2 bright purple hearing aids.

Clint breathed a sigh if relief. He put the aids in his ear and turned them on. They were a perfect fit. But did they have to be so _bright_?

His house wasn't far from the school, so Clint walked. Once he got to the school, he stopped, surveying the familiar building. He remembered walking out of it last year, just as clear as if it were yesterday. Come to think of it, he could barely remember yesterday. He sighed. Where had the summer gone?

Clint walked through the gates, trying to stay in the shadows. Today was not going to be a good day, he could already tell. 

Clint walked into his first class. History with Mr. Coulson. He stood outside the door with about 10 other kids. Mr. Coulson was a good teacher, Clint had heard, although he had an unhealthy obsession with the football team. Especially Steve "Captain America" Rogers.

Then, Clint heard some giggling. He turned around, a d saw a gaggle of girls his age. He saw them push a girl forward. "Do it Laura." He heard one girl say. The girl they were pushing forward, Laura, Clint guessed, walked up to him.

"Hi." She said. "I'm Laura." 

Clint could do nothing but stare, open mouthed. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

"Snap out of it Clint!" a voice said. Clint turned around. 

"Nat!" He said.

"Who's the lady?" She said mockingly. 

Clint turned bright red. "N-no one"

"Someone's got a cru-ush" Tony said in a sing-sing voice as he walked towards them! 

"No I don't!" Clint protested.

"Its kind of obvious. " Nat said. "You're face is almost the same color as my hair."

"I see you found my gift." Tony said. 

"The mechanic? Really Tony, you're still using that nickname. And why are they so damned bright?"

"Its cool!" Tony said.

"Its really isn't." Nat said.

"Excuse me?" Tony said, right before the bell rang. Mr. Coulson opened the door. and let the students in. 

Clint groaned when he saw a seating chart on the wall, although he perked up when he saw he was sitting next to Natasha.

He sat down in his seat and took out a notebook. Mr. Coulson was going on and on about expectations and homework. What kind of teacher gave homework on the first day? 

About 10 minutes into class, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Coulson opened the door and almost squealed. Clint didn't even have to see his face to know it was Steve Rogers. The captain of the football team. Also known as "Captain America" Steve walked in, and was followed by his best friend, Bucky Barnes.

Clint could have sworn he saw Nat blush when Bucky walked in. _Guess I'm not the only one with a crush,_ he thought. 

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your class, but here's the sign up sheet for football tryouts." Steve said. " Practice will be after school every Wednesday and Friday." 

Bucky held up a clip board. Several students signed their names. Clint looked at Mr. Coulson. The teacher was grinning like a madman.

"I think Mr. Coulson has a problem" Clint whispered to Nat. "I mean, football isn't even that interesting."

"Archery isn't that interesting either. " Nat whispered back.

"I am offended!" Clint whisper-yelled. "Archery is not boring!" 

Clint looked up, to see if Mr. Coulson had noticed them talking. He hadn't. He was still staring dreamily at Steve. 

Eventually, Steve and Bucky left. Mr. Coulson straightened up and began to teach again. 

After sitting through several classes, it was finally time for lunch. Clint, Nat, and Tony found a table, and they sat down and began to chat.


	2. Chapter 2

_The train, going faster than it should have._

Steve woke up in a cold sweat. It wasn't a nightmare, exactly. It was a memory.

_The boy, crossing the tracks._

Steve shuddered. That day had been one of the worst days of his life.

_The screeching of the brakes, seconds too late_

Steve closed his eyes, hoping it would stop. He didn't want to relive that moment.

_The earsplitting scream_

_The unconscious body on the tracks_

Steve covered his face in his hands

_The body with blood pouring out of everywhere, and the arm mangled beyond repair._

_The body of James Buchanan Barnes_

A sob escaped him. Even though it had been years, even though Bucky was alive, Steve felt like a 12 year old boy again, watching in horror.

"Steve! " He heard his mother call. Steve quickly got dressed, still shaken up by the memory. He walked into the kitchen. 

As Steve was walking in, he heard the doorbell ring. He opened it up to find Bucky standing there. After the dream he had just had, he was so glad to see Bucky. even though it had been 5 years since the accident, sometimes it felt like it was just yesterday. 

But here Bucky was, with his long brown hair, his pale skin, his metal arm gleaming in the sunlight. Bucky was standing there, alive.

Without thinking, Steve ran up and hugged Bucky, just to make sure he was really there. That he wasn't a hallucination, he wasn't a mirage. He was _real_.

Bucky looked surprised. He laughed. "Glad to see me, Rogers?"

"You'd have no idea." Steve said. 

Bucky studied Steve's face. "You had that dream again." He said. Steve nodded. "Well I'm here now." Bucky said softly, wrapping his arms around Steve. "I'm here now."

🌟🌟

Steve and Bucky walked out of the house and started heading for school. He looked at his schedule. P. E. with Coach May. He walked into the gym, followed by Bucky, who had mostly the same schedule as him.

Kids were milling around the gym, waiting for class to start. 

"Steve?" Coach May said. Steve walked up to the teacher.

"Yeah?" He said. Coach May handed him a paper and a clipboard.

"Its the sign-up sheet for football tryouts. " The coach said. "It be a great help if you brought it to all the classes."

" Alright. " Steve said. "I'm happy to help." He took the clipboard. " C'mn Buck. " He said, gesturing for Bucky to come with him. Bucky got up and followed Steve out the door. 

"Lets start it Mr. Coulson's room." Steve said. Bucky nodded. They walked down the halls to Mr. Coulson's room. It was oddly peaceful to be walking down the empty halls, void of all noise except the unintelligible talking of teachers and students in the classrooms. 

When they got to the room, Steve opened the door. He could have sworn he heard a squeak come from Mr. Coulson's mouth. He looked up at the teacher, who looked positively starstruck. Not in a creepy way, no, more like someone who had just met their hero.

"Hey, umm, sorry to interrupt your class, but here's the sign up sheet for football tryouts." Steve said. " Practice will be after school every Wednesday and Friday." He set down the clipboard and stood there, awkwardly while students crowded up to the clipboard.

Mr. Coulson had stopped staring at Steve. Steve had heard things about Mr. Coulson, but the teacher really wasn't as bad as they said. 

Once the thicket of students cleared, Steve and Bucky left the room. They went from door to door, doing mostly the same thing until the bell rang.

Eventually, it was time for lunch. Steve noticed Tony, Clint, and Nat sitting at a table. He and Bucky went and sat down at the table. 

"Hey." He said. "How's it going?" 

"Clint's got a girlfriend!" Tony said, mockingly.

"She's not my _girlfriend_." Clint protested. "She just said hi to me this morning."

" You should have seen his face. " Nat said. "He looked like a tomato!"

"I did not!" 

"Yes you did!" Tony said. 

"Geez calm down. " Steve said. "The entire cafeteria can hear you."

"Thats the point." Tony said. He stood on the table and began to yell. 

"CLINT HAS A CRUSH ON-" He was stopped short by Clint literally jumping on top of him.

"I swear Tony, if you tell anyone I won't hesitate to kill you." Clint said before hopping off of Tony.

"What the hell Barton? Jumping on me?"

" There's no way I'm letting that secret get out. " Clint said. 

"Oh, so you do have a crush on her. " Tony said. Clint turned red. 

"You guys are acting like kindergarteners." Natasha said

" Are not! " Clint said. said

"And that proves my point even more. " She retorted

Steve laughed. "I think this is going to be a wild year." He said. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

After school, Tony walked into the lab for what they called "the science club". It was kind of a weak name. Bruce, his lab partner, was waiting at their station. "Hey." He said. 

"Hi." Bruce replied. Tony sat down next to him, waiting for the teacher to give instructions. As if he was going to follow them anyway.

While the teacher was blabbing on and on about lab safety and prodecures, Tony thought about all the things they could create. At the end of their sophomore year, Bruce and Tony had discussed making a robot with an advanced AI. 

Tony had jokingly suggested calling the robot Ultron, after Clint's grumpy neighbor. They had laughed about it, but Tony was seriously considering naming it that. 

Bruce, of course, had thought of many practical uses for such a robot. 

"It could monitor your heart rate." Bruce had said. "Or calm me down when I start getting angry." These would be useful, but Tony had other, flashier ideas. Like creating Ultron to be a vigilante, fighting crime in the streets. 

Tony was shaken out of his fantasies when Bruce shook his shoulder. "Tony." He said. Tony looked up. The class was staring at him.

"Oh." He said.

"Did you hear _anything_ the teacher said?" Bruce asked.

"Did you seriously expect me to?" was Tony's reply

Bruce rolled his eyes. "It wasn't anything important anyways." He said. " just the generic rules we hear every year. "

"Well anyways, you want to start on Ultron?"

"For the last time we are not naming it Ultron!" Bruce said. 

"You got any better ideas?" Tony asked. Bruce sighed. 

" No, "he admitted. "But what if the actual Ultron finds out?"

"How would he find out?" Tony asked. 

"Oh he would." Bruce said. "I don't know how, but he would."

"Whatever. We're naming it Ultron." Tony said.

"Fine." Bruce said with a sigh. 

Tony rubbed his hands together in anticipation and began to work. He opened up the computer at his and Bruce's station, supplied by Stark Industries, of course, and opened up the code for Ultron they had been the year before.

"So." he said. "This could take a while." He began typing code. 

After about an hour, the code was ready to be tested, and the body was just about done. The rest of the students in the club watched as Bruce and Tony finished creating the body. Then they activated the robot.

Tony nearly jumped back when it began to move. Of course, he had known it would work. But he didn't expect this. 

Ultron began to laugh. Tony looked at it in confusion. They had not programmed it to do _this._

Tony shut off the program, but still the robot continued to laugh. The other students were beginning to look scared, and Tony was getting nervous. He coughed, and began to examine Ultron. 

At his touch, Ultron whipped around. "Do not touch me, human." It said. Someone screamed. 

Tony frantically looked for the power off button on the robot.When he located it, he slowly inched his hand towards the button. Ultron slapped his hand away.

"I think we have a problem on our hands." Tony whispered to Bruce. Bruce nodded. 

"I am no problem. " Ultron said.

"And he has good hearing too." Tony whispered.

"Wait a minute." Bruce said. "I've got an idea. " He pulled out hid phone and began to text. 

**Bruce** : Clint, bring your bow and arrow to the science lab, NOW

 **Clint** : why

 **Bruce** : Just come

 **Clint** : on my way 

**Bruce** : oh, and try not to be loud

 **Clint** : :)

Clint burst through the door, bow and arrow ready. 

"What needs shooting?" He announced. 

"What did I say about being quiet? " Bruce hissed. 

"Whoops. " Clint said. 

"Hello human." Ultron said. Clint jumped. 

"What the hell is that?" He asked. 

"I am Ultron."

" Ultron? " Clint said, confused. "Like my neighbor?"

"I do not know this _neighbor_ of yours. " Ultron said. 

"Well whoever you are, you're creepy." Clint turned to Tony. 

"Seriously, what did you need me for?" Clint asked. Tony pointed to a small panel on the back of Ultron's head. 

Not wanting to speak, for fear of Ultron hearing, Tony wrote something down on a piece of paper. He silently cursed himself for programming Ultron to understand sign language. 

_Shoot that panel on the back of Ultron's head._ The paper said. _Oh, and also, Ultron knows sign language,_

Clint looked at the piece of paper. _Got it_. He wrote. He took out his bow and arrow as silently as possible. Taking a deep breath, Clint pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow flew, straight and true, hitting the panel on the back of Ultron's head perfectly. The robot slumped forward, the light gone out of its eyes. 

All the people in the room let go of a breath they hadn't even realized they'd been holding. Clint breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Alright, everyone out before Ultron wakes up." The teacher said. The students filed out of the classroom as quickly as possible, trying to get away from the robot until only Tony and Bruce remained on the room. 

"Well, that was. . . unexpected. " Tony said after a moment of silence. Bruce nodded. 

"I think that's enough experimenting with AI. " Bruce said. 

"Agreed." Tony replied. They stood in silence for a moment longer before heading out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ultron's in the story now. Yay.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint walked into his english class. Scott Lang caught his eye and began waving excitedly. Clint sighed. No friends in this class. 

H sat down in an empty seat, hoping that at least one of his friends would walk in. Hell, he'd be fine if it was _Darcy Lewis,_ even though he only knew her because she was Thor's friend's friend.

"You. In the purple shirt." The teacher, _Mr. Sitwell,_ Clint remembered, pointed at him. 

"Me?" Clint asked, confused. 

"Yes you " Mr. Sitwell said. "Take out your air pods, or whatever these kids nowadays call them. 

"But I don't have any Air pods." Clint said, still confused. 

"Yes you do." The teacher said. " Now hand them over. "

Clint put a hand on his ears. "You mean _these_?" He said, pointing to his hearing aids. 

"Yes. " Mr. Sitwell said with an exasperated sigh. "Take them out, now."

" B-but. " Clint started. 

"TAKE THEM OUT. " 

Clint sighed and took out his hearing aids, plunging the world into almost-silence. Mr. Sitwell held out his hand, and Clint dropped the hearing aids into it. 

Mr. Sitwell walked up to the front of the class and began to talk. Clint just zoned out. He didn't feel like lipreading, and it would be fun to mess with the teacher. 

Mr. Sitwell was now staring at Clint, mouth moving. Clint just stared blankly up. Clint could see the frustration in the man's face as he repeated himself over and over again. 

Finally, Clint couldn't take it anymore. "I cant understand whatever the hell you're saying!" He said. "I'm f**king deaf!"

Mr. Sitwell looked surprised at the outburst. "Deaf." He said. 

Clint blinked. "What?" He said,even though he knew what the teacher was saying. "I can't hear you because you took my hearing aids. " 

Mr. Sitwell sighed and handed Clint back his hearing aids. Clint put them in, and immediately the world was filled with sound again. 

Upon getting his hearing aids back, Clint ran out the door. 

"CLINTON!" He could hear his teacher yelling, but he didn't care. He ran out the classroom, down the hall, and out the front door. Then, he jumped the fence and ran to his mom's house. 

Clint got to his mom's house and rang the doorbell. His sister, Kate, who was home sick, opened the door. 

"Clint?" She said, confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at school? And aren't you supposed to be staying at your dad's house this week?"

Clint shuddered. He hated his father. Sometimes he was jealous that Kate got to stay at his mom's all the time

Clint's mother, Edith, walked over to them. 

"Clinton Francis Barton, what are you doing out of school?" She asked. 

Clint' s face reddened. "Um, well..." He started. "Mr. Sitwell thought my hearing aids were air pods and so he took them and then he got mad that I couldn't hear him and then I ran home." He blurted out. His mother frowned.

Clint thought she was going to yell at him, but instead she said " I'm going to call Principal Fury! " She stormed off, leaving Kate and Clint alone. 

"Well." Kate said. "That was disappointing. I thought she was going to chew you out for sure."

Clint scowled at her. 

From where he stood, Clint could hear bits and pieces of his mom"s conversation. i

"Not properly informed. . . My son's disability!" 

Clint sighed. " She's taking this too seriously. " Clint said. Kate nodded. 

After about 20 minutes, Edith walked back to where Kate and Clint were. 

"Honestly." She said. "They should fire that teacher. "

"Geez, mom. " Clint said. "Thats a bit harsh."

Edith sighed. 

Clint's phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a text from Nat

 **Black Widow** : Where are you?????

 **Hawkeye** : home

 **Black Widow** : why?

 **Hawkeye** : Mr. Sitwell thought my hearing aids were air pods and he took them away

 **Black Widow** : so you went home?

 **Hawkeye** : It was the last class of the day

 **Black Widow** : so???

 **Hawkeye** : 🤷

 **Black Widow** : 🤦


	5. Chapter 5

"You want to go out for ice cream later?" Tony said one day at lunch. 

"Sure." Steve replied. 

2 hours later they were walking into a Baskin Robbins.

"I'll have 2 scoops of cotton candy ice cream in a waffle cone." Clint said to the cashier. 

"I'll have cookies and cream." Nat said. 

"I'll have that too." Bucky said.

"Aww! You guys are so cute together!" The cashier said. 

Nat and Bucky both blushed. 

"Umm we aren't–" Nat said, her face the same color as her hair. 

"They are cute together." Kate said. 

"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning your room?" Clint asked. 

"I finished!" Kate said defensively. Clint raised his eyebrows at her. Kate sighed. "Fine." She said. "I snuck out. "

"That's not very cool." Steve said. 

"Who said anything about being cool?" Kate asked.I

"Well, this is an ice cream shop." The cashier said. 

Clint stared at the cashier. "Did you just–"

"Did I just what?"

"Make an ice cream pun? "

"Come on Barton, you make arrow puns all the time!" 

"Hang on." Clint said, inspecting the cashiers face. "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"Its literally me." The cashier took off his hat. 

"Scott?" Clint asked, surprised. "You work here?"

Scott looked offended. 

"For the record." Kate said. " i literally have no idea who you are. " 

Scott still looked offended. 

"I recognized you." Nat said. Scott smiled. The other worker at the shop turned to look at them. 

"You're holding up the line! " she said. 

"i could buy this whole place with my weekly allowance!" Tony retorted.

"Be nice!" Clint said.

"What? It’s true" Was Tony's response

"Well its rude. " Clint said

"You're one to talk. " Nat said

"So are you. You're rude all the time" Clint said

"Everyone just shut up and order your ice cream! " Steve shouted over the chatter 

"I want a scoop of all the ice creams you have all mixed together. " Tony said as he slid Scott a 50

"Um that’ll be disgusting. " Scott said. Tony raised his eyebrow. "Um OK. " Scott said as he took the money "Can’t say I haven’t done this myself!"

"I like to spice things up sometimes. " 

"Its literally just ice cream." Clint said

"I'm rich! I can be spontaneous! "Tony said

"I’ll have birthday cake please. " Steve said, ignoring Clint and Tony.

"And I shall have your finest chocolate" Thor said

"This is a baskin robbins, how "fine" can the chocolate get? " Clint said. 

"We have quadruple chocolate!" Scott said. 

"Yes I shall have that. " Thor said. He turned to Clint. "And THAT, my arrowy friend, is how fine chocolate can get. "

"Arrowy?" Clint asked. " And anyway, quintuple chocolate icecream mixed with coffee is _clearly_ superior. "

"So I’ll take the quadruple and mix it with the mocha?" Scott said. Thor nodded excitedly.   
"I'm beginning to regret my choice. " Clint said, looking at his ice cream.

"I’ll have the rum raisin! " Kate said, looking over the counter at the ice cream

"Aw! Aren’t you cu—" Scott started, but he was cut short by kate grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him down. 

"Don't. You. Dare." Kate said, staring Scott down.

"Nope. Wasn’t going to. " Scott said. 

The other worker, who the group recognized as Gamora Titan, looked up. "Shes definitely NOT cute. But I like her."

"I like you too. " Kate said. 

"We should hang out sometime. " Gamora said.

"Who's holding up the line now?" Scott taunted. A glare from Gamora shut him up.

"Ugh I’m outta here. " A customer said, leaving the store. 

"Lang, stop chatting! " Gamora said. 

"Hypocrite. " Scott mumbled under his breath. 

"What was that?" Gamora asked. 

"N-nothing." Scott said, looking scared.

"Anyways, Kate what do you want. We're out of rum raisin." Scott said, changing the subject.

"Fine." Kate said. " I want bubblegum with ALL the toppings!"

Scott sighed. "Ok." He said. He looked at the toppings. "Even the Hot Tamales?" He asked, skeptically.

"Even the hot tamales. " Kate said, dead serious.

"Whelp ok." Scott said, dumping a bowl of toppings onto her ice cream. 

"LANG. Don’t waste the toppings! " Gamora yelled

"I don't care. " Scott said.

"You do realize I'm your boss, right. " Gamora said, raising her eyebrow at Scott. 

"You're still a high schooler!" Scott protested.

"So are you." Gamora said. " Besides, I'm the manager, and you started 2 weeks ago. I've had this job for 2 years. "

"Ummmm. " Scott said, unable to form a decent reply. 

"That’s what I thought. " Gamora said smugly. 

"ooooh drama. " Kate, who was watching the whole thing unfold, said.

Gamora slammed her hand on the counter. "Honey, you want drama?" She said.

" Oh no. " Clint whispered from the background. 

Gamora straightened. She stared down imposingly at Kate. "My boyfriend and my friend won’t stop arguing because they’re stupid men. My sister hates me and my dad hates the universe. Oh, and Steve and Sam both kissed Sharon behind the lockers on the same day. How’s that for drama?" 

" I'm scared. " Kate whispered to Clint. 

"Oh are you now?" Gamora taunted.

Clint patted Kate's shoulder. "Why are you scared, Katie? " He asked, concerned. Kate pointed to Gamora. 

"Oh, don’t worry! She’s actually a big softie!" Scott said, jumping into the conversation.

"If you get me fired I will kill you. " Gamora said. 

Scott paled. "N-never mind." He said. 

"Lets just get our ice cream and leave." Steve said. The group nodded and ordered the rest of their ice cream. Tony paid for it all

"Consider yourselves banned from this place!" Gamora yelled at them. As they were turning to leave, Peter Quill, Gamora's on and off boyfriend, walked through the door. 

"Eyyyyy" He said. 

"What are you doing here? You swore to never come here again. " Gamora said.

"I wanted some ice cream. " Peter said. "What else would I come here for?"

"There’s another Baskin Robbins across town." Gamora said.

" But this ones closer. " Peter said. 

"There’s a Culver’s next door. " Gamora replied.

"Ummm. " Peter started, trying to think of an adequate excuse. "They don’t have the right flavors. " He said quickly. Too quickly. Gamora raised an eyebrow. Peter sighed. "Fine, I just wanted to see you." He said after a moment. 

Gamora noticed Clint,Tony, and the rest of the group and glared at them. "I said get out." She said, an edge to her voice. 

The group left the shop with their ice cream. They never did hear the rest of the conversation between Gamora and Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a big-ass ball of dialogue  
> But here's the gotg


	6. Chapter 6

"I think you should do this." Tony said, pointing to a piece of paper. He was standing on the football field, talking strategy with Steve and Bucky.

"You're not usually one to make a sacrifice move." Steve said. 

"Well everything special about you came from a bottle!" Tony retorted.

". . .what?" Steve said, clearly confused. Tony shrugged. 

"I don't know, it just felt right." he said.

" Why are you even here? " Bucky asked. "You aren't even on the team."

" Well maybe I want to join the team. "

"Tryouts are over." Steve said. 

"And what about your _condition_!" Bruce, who was doing his homework on the bleachers, called out, gesturing to Tony's chest.

"My medical problems are none of your business!" Tony yelled back. 

Soon after, he was playing scrimmage football with the rest of the team.

Everything was going ordinary, aside from the fact that Tony clearly had no idea how to play, when Tony suddenly collapsed. 

"Sh*t." Steve said. He ran over to Tony, checking for a pulse. 

"Someone call 911!" He said, while he began CPR. 

A few minutes later, sirens sounded. Tony was loaded into the ambulance and sent to the hospital.

The football players stood around awkwardly. "I knew this was a bad idea." Bucky mumbled.

A few hours later, Steve, Bucky, Nat, Bruce, and Thor were all in the hospital, visiting Tony. 

"Cardiac arrest." The doctor had said. "The arc reactor failed due to being over worked.

They looked at his scrawny form in the hospital bed, hooked up to several machines.

Suddenly, Tony opened his eyes.

" W-what happened? " He asked, taking in the room.

"You went into cardiac arrest while you were playing football." Steve said. " the doctor said you overworked the reactor,causing it to fail. "

Just then, Pepper Potts came bursting into the room.

"TONY" she said, out of breath. "No more sports or I'll kill you myself!!"

" Geez calm down. I'm fine. " Tony said

"You could've died!" Pepper said 

"I'm fine!" Tony insisted.

"Then why are you in the hospital?" Pepper replied. 

"It was just a little heartburn!" Tony said. 

"A LITTLE HEARTBURN?" Pepper practically screamed at him. "YOU ALMOST DIED!" 

"Aww you really do care. " Tony said

"Of course I didn't want you to DIE!"

"Calm down." Tony said.

"Welp." Nat said. "You are officially banned from _all_ sports."

Tony groaned. "Please tell me I can at least get out of here soon."

"They're making you stay here at least overnight." Nat said. 

Clint walked through the door, wincing in pain as he moved. "Are you ok?" He asked Tony.

"Tony should be asking you that." Nat said. 

"I will then." Tony said. " Clint, are you ok? "

Clint rolled his eyes. "I'm fine." He said. 

"You shot yourself with an arrow." Nat said. " You're not fine. 

"Wait, he shot himself with an arrow?" Tony asked. "Isn't he like, the best at archery in the school?"

"In the _state_." Clint corrected smugly. "Maybe the country. I don't know. my mom didn't let me move up to the nationals."

"So how did you shoot yourself?" Tony asked. 

"Laura walked in." Nat said. "You can guess what happened next. 

Tony laughed. Clint's face reddened. "That's not why–" He started. 

"Yes it was. " Bucky interjected. "I was there."

"Well anyways." Clint said, desperate for a change of subject. " What hallened to Tony? "

"Its a long story." Tony said.

" Its actually not that long. " Pepper said. "Tony decided to be an idiot and play football, and he went into cardiac arrest because he's not supposed to play sports"

"Pepper!" Tony complained. 

Pepper shrugged. "Well clearly you didn't want to tell him what happened, so I told him for you. "

"Visitng hours are over. " A nurse said,walking into the room. "Tony needs his rest."

"Can I leave? " Clint asked. "I feel fine."

"You're going to have to stay for at least another hour."

Clint groaned, but reluctantly followed the nurse out of the room. The rest followed. 

Outside of the hospital, the group, minus Clint, stood around. 

"Well that was interesting." Nat said. "We need something to liven up the days."

"We've literally only been in school for a week." Steve said. 

"And its already boring." Bucky chimed in. 

"Well I, unlike all of you, actually enjoy school. " Steve said. 

"Nerd." Bucky whispered. Nat laughed. 

"I too, enjoy school." Thor said. "Although it may be dull at times. "

"Alright, shakespeare." Nat said. "That makes 2 of you. " 

"We should probably head out. " Steve said. " we can't just stand out here forever. "

They nodded, and began to walk back. After a few minutes, they separated and, exchanging goodbyes, each went to their individual houses. 


	7. Chapter 7

Loki stepped back to admire his handiwork. It had been too easy to get into the trophy case. The school really needed to step up their security game. If a 15 year old was able to break into the trophy case, a very smart one, at least, then it would be easy for burglars to break in. Not that he would care.

He had decorated, vandalized, some would say, the football championship trophy from the previous year. Some would say it was horrible, but to Loki it was quite amusing.

The security cameras had mysteriously stopped working the night before, something Loki had nothing to do with, of course, and he just couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

One last look at the trophy, and Loki left the school, leaving a note by the trophy case reading "Things are getting a bit too dull around here -Reindeer Games" This was just too fun.

🐍🐍

About an hour later, Mr. Toomes, the janitor, was walking to the trophy case to polish the trophies. He turned the corner, and sighed. The trophy was covered in black sharpie. He noticed the note on the ground and picked it up.

"Reindeer games strikes again." He said, picking up his walkie-talkie and calling the principal.

Principal Nick Fury sighed. "Already?" He said. "I would have thought Reindeer Games would have waited a while longer."

"Apparently not." Mr. Toomes said over the walkie talkie. " Reindeer Games vandalized the football championship trophy. "

"Phil's not going to be happy." Fury replied. "Any idea who it is?" 

"I'm beginning to suspect its that Barton boy." Toomes said. "Or possibly the Odinson boy. The younger one."

"Any definitive proof?"

A sigh. "No."

Fury set down the phone and rubbed his temples. One week at school and they'd already had a near-death experience, and now Reindeer Games was becoming active? It was going to be a long year.

Phil Coulson had almost screamed when he saw the vandalized trophy. He frantically called Fury and told him.

A sigh was Fury's response. "I know." He said. "Toomes told me."

" Why hasn't he cleaned it? " 

Another sigh. "Its not just normal sharpie." Fury said. " Toomes can't get it off. "

"There's got to be some way to clean it. "

"I'm sure there is. We just haven't found it yet. "

"Well than find it faster!" Coulson said

Fury rolled his eyes, although Phil couldn't see it. He was overreacting. It was just a trophy, after all

"Have you dusted for fingerprints? " Phil asked.

Fury sighed once more. "Yes." He said. And the culprit was wearing gloves. "

"Security cameras?"

" Broken. "

"Is there no other evidence?"

"Not that we know of. "

🐍🐍

The next day at school, there was a commotion as students walked past the trophy case. Loki smirked from the crowd, careful no one saw.

"Settle down every one!" A teacher Loki didn't recognize said, trying to speak above the crowd. "It appears Reindeer Games has struck once again."

" Already? Isn't it early? " Someone said from the crowd. The teacher nodded. 

"They still haven't found who it is? " another person said. 

" No. " Was the teacher's response. "They have a few suspects, but no proof."

Loki had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. They were so _oblivious_. They wouldn't be able to figure out who it was if he had put his name on the note. They were never going to figure out it was him.

As the crowd cleared out, Loki began to walk to his first class, stopping to take one last look at the trophy and smile. This year was going to be fun. He was going to make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some Loki  
> Sorry its so short


	8. Chapter 8

Natasha sighed as she sat down on the bleachers. It had been a long day, and she needed a break.

OK, maybe it was a little weird to be watching the high school football team practice, especially when she was just watching the guy she had a crush on, but everyone does that. Right?

Anyways, she set down her stuff and watched them do drills. Maybe some people would call it boring, but it wasn't boring to her. 

It probably had something to do with Bucky being there. There was just something about him that made her heart flutter. Maybe that sounded cheesy, but it was true. And she was like, 80% sure he had a crush on her. So it was even.

She watched them for a while, like she did most days. It was better than going home.

As she was watching, Bucky suddenly looked up at her. Nat almost fell off her seat. But she didn't. Thankfully. That would have been embarrassing.

He waved to her, and she waved back. Then she slumped back on to the seat. 

🕷🕷

The next day at lunch, Bucky walked up to her. Natasha stayed calm on the outside, but on the inside she was panicking. 

"Hi." he said. 

" Hi. " Nat replied. 

"So ummm I saw you on the bleachers yesterday."

"I know. "

"And I was wondering um are you going to go there today?"

Nat was surprised "Yeah." She said. "But there's no practice today, right?"

He shook his head. "There isn't." He said. " But I like to go there anyway. "

"You do?" Nat asked. She had never seen him there on the no practice days.the

"Well like not all the time!" He said. "Not every day. Just sometimes. "

"Oh." Was Nat's response. 

" So you'll be there? " He asked. 

"Yeah." Nat said. " You already asked that. "

Bucky's face turned red. "Oh." He said. "Yeah."

"Did he just ask you out on a _date_?" Clint asked. Nat jumped. 

"Its not a date!" She protested. " I go there everyday. You know that. "

"But he actually noticed you." Clint said. "I think he _likes_ you. " 

"Clint!" Nat said, annoyed. 

🕷🕷

After school that day, Natasha sat down on the bleachers like usual. But today was different.

Bucky waved to her as he walked onto the field. She waved back. He walked up the bleachers, sitting down next to her. She felt his hand brush hers, and she felt her face grow hot. 

_Was_ it a date? 

Even if it was, she didn't care. 

Bucky wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she shivered as the cold metal touched her bare neck. 

They sat there for a while, taking in the scenery, not that there was much to look at. Just the football field and the cars zooming by on the street next to it. Nothing special, but somehow, having Bucky there with her made it all better.


	9. Chapter 9

The doorbell rang. Jarvis opened it. 

"Who is it?" Tony asked from across the hall.

" Clint. " Jarvis said. Clint waved. 

"Hi." He said 

"And Kate!" Kate said, stepping out from behind Clint. Clint groaned.I

"My mom made me bring her." He explained.

Ten minutes later, the rest of the group was there.

"Jarvis, can you get pizza?" Tony asked. 

"Of course. " Jarvis replied. "What kind?"

"Pepperoni and cheese." Tony said. He turned to the others. "Is five pizzas enough?" He asked.

"Only 5!? " Clint said. "I could eat all that by myself! "

"He can." Nat agreed. And he has. Better get at least 10. "

"Make that 20." Clint said. 

" 20!? " Tony said. Clint nodded. 

"What? I'm hungry." He said. 

Tony sighed. "Twenty pizzas then." He said to Jarvis.

" Alright. " Jarvis said. He left to order the pizzas.

Once he was gone, they sat down.

"What should we do?" Steve asked.

" lets play 7 minutes in heaven. " Tony said. 

Clint groaned "7 minutes?" He complained. " i wanted to play Mario Kart. "

"7 minutes it is." Tony said.

"But Nat's the only girl." Steve said.

"That can change. " Tony said. "I can invite Pepper." 

"I can invite Lady Jane." Thor said.

"I can see of Betty want to come." Bruce said. 

Clint groaned again. "I guess I could invite Laura." He said reluctantly. "But I still wanna play Mario Kart."

"What about me?" Steve asked.

" Ummm I exist. " Kate said. 

"No one wants to play 7 minutes with _you_." Clint said.

" Hey! "Kate protested. 

Clint shrugged. "Its true." He said. 

" i suppose I could see if Silvia wants to come. " Bruce said. 

"Silvia?" Tony asked "The new girl?"

" Yeah. " Bruce said.

"How do you know her?" Tony asked.

"She's my sister." Bruce said. " Well, half sister. " 

"Then how come we haven't met her before?" Clint asked. 

"Its. . .a long story." Bruce said.

"We've got time." Clint said. 

"Yeah, tell it. " Tony replied

" I think it would be better if she told you guys. " Bruce said. I

Tony sighed. " Fine. " He said. "Have it your way."

A few minutes later, they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. Tony opened it and saw Pepper standing on the other side. 

"Hi." She said. 

" Hi. " Came Tony's response. "Come on in. " He said. Pepper did just that. A few more minutes later, Jane and Laura walked inside. They all exchanged greetings, and the girls sat down on the couch.

A few more minutes later, the doorbell rang again. This time it was Jarvis, with two of the chauffeurs, all holding stacks of pizza. 

"That's a LOT of pizza." Pepper said, staring wide eyed. "How do they expect us to eat it all?"

"You underestimate my power." Clint said. 

10 minutes later, 5 of the pizzas were gone. Clint had eaten a whole pizza alone. 

"How?" Laura, who was only on her second slice, said. Clint shrugged. 

The doorbell rang for like the tenth time in half an hour. Betty walked in, followed by a petite girl with shoulder length brown hair. Silvia. 

"Hi." Bruce said to them.

"Hi." Betty replied. Silvia said the same thing, just so quiet they could barley hear her. Clint couldn't actually hear her.

" Do you want some pizza? " Bruce asked. Silvia nodded. Bruce handed her a piece and she began to eat slowly.

Clint was still eating pizza. He was halfway done with another box. Laura stared at him as he devoured the pizza. 

"So, 7 minutes?" Tony said. "Who wants to go first? "

"Lets watch a movie first. " Clint said. 

"You just don't want to play." Tony said. 

"That may or may not be true." Clint said. "But I still want to watch a movie first."

"I vote Romeo and Juliet!" Loki yelled, popping up from behind the couch. They yelped.

" Loki? " Tony said. "Have you been here the whole time."

" Yep. " Loki said. "Just waiting for the right moment."

"Did you know about this?" Tony asked Thor. Thor shook his head. 

"Also, Romeo and Juliet?" Clint said. " Really? "

"Its a good movie! " Loki argued. 

"Well its better then 7 minutes." Clint said. "Lets watch it. "

"Yay!" Loki said.

Tony put in the movie. "Ugh." He said. " 7 minutes would be better. "

"Just shut up and watch the movie." Nat said as she leaned back into the couch. 

2 hours later, there was not a dry eye in the house. Even Tony was crying.

"Wow." Clint said, tears rolling down his cheeks. " i never thought I'd see the great Tony Stark cry. "

"Shut up Clint." Tony said through tears. 

Bucky and Nat were hugging each other, tears streaming down their faces. 

"Nat, you're my Juliet." Bucky said.

Nat suppressed a sob. "And you're my Romeo. " She choked out. 

"T-to soon!" Loki yelled. He was sitting in the corner, knees pulled up to his chest. 

"O. T. P!!!!" Kate yelled. 

"Wait, what'd they say!" Clint shouted over the commotion. "I couldn't hear!"

His pleas were, unfortunately, lost in the noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning: the next chapter is very sad and angsty  
> Also, just to clear things up, Silvia is my friend's oc


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry :)

"Bye." Tony said half-heartedly as his parents left for another meeting. He sunk down onto the couch and turned on the tv. 

A few hours later, his phone rang. He picked it up. 

"Is this Anthony Stark?" The voice on the other end said.

" Yes. " Tony replied. 

"I regret to inform you that there has been an accident. " Tony paled at the words. 

"An accident?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"Your parents were driving to their meeting, when a drunk driver hit their car. They were killed instantly. "

Tony dropped the phone. He didn't hear the dull thunk as it hit the ground. It was as if all the life had drained out of him. 

_Killed instantly_

His breathing became shallow. Everything around him seemed to halt to a stop.

"Tony?" A voice said. Edwin Jarvis, their butler, walked into the room. "Is everything ok?"

Tony couldn't speak. Couldn't breath. Couldn't move. 

"Tony?"

"They're dead." Tony whispered. He could hardly believe it himself. 

"W-what?"

"THEY'RE DEAD!"

"Tony. . " Jarvis said. 

Tony got up and left the house without saying another word

At Bruce's house,he rang the doorbell. 

"Tony?" Bruce said, confused. "What are you doing here? Its 2am."

" I-i need to talk. " Tony said.

"W-whats going on?" Silvia asked groggily. 

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Bruce said. He turned to Tony. "Why are you here?" he asked again.

"They're dead." Tony said, so quiet Bruce could barely hear him.

" What! " He said at the same time Silvia said. "Who's dead!?"

"M-my parents." Tony said, just as quietly. 

Silvia covered her mouth. "I-i'm so sorry." She said.

"Come inside." Bruce said, not knowing what to say. " Do you need some water? " Tony nodded. Bruce got him some water, and Tony drank it, and promptly collapsed on the couch, trying hard not to cry. 

Out in the hall, Silvia and Bruce were talking in hushed whispers. 

"Is he gonna stay here?" Bruce asked. 

"I think so. " Silvia replied. 

"But. . .your mom?"

" I can talk to her. "

"You sure she'll let him stay?"

" Positive. "

A sigh. "Alright."

Bruce walked back into the room and sat down on the couch. "Hey." He said. " if you don't mind me asking, what happened? "

"A c-car accident." Tony whispered. "I never even said a proper goodbye." He tried to suppress a sob. 

" Its ok. " Bruce said. "Cry as much as you need to. "

As soon as Bruce said those words, Tony broke down crying. 

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here. Ok? Bruce said before leaving the room. Tony simply nodded

After Bruce left, Tony simply layed there, unable to sleep, until he eventually passed out from sheer exhaustion.

The next morning, Tony was awoken by Silvia's mother freaking out when she saw him. 

"Who's this hobo on my couch!" she yelled.I

"Mom!" Silvia said. "Come talk to me in the kitchen. "

" Alright" Her mother said, sighing. She followed Silvia into the kitchen. 

"That's Tony." Silvia said to her mother, once they were in the kitchen. " His parents were in a car accident last night and he needs a place to stay. "

Silvia's mother gasped. "O h." She said. "I called him a hobo. " She whispered to herself.

"Is there any food I can have?" Tony asked. 

"Of course." Silvia's mom said. "Its all in the kitchen. Eat as much as I need. Now I need to go to work" She walked out the front door.

Tony walked into the kitchen. Silvia followed.

~-I'm sorry-~

Clint sat down at their table. "Ugh. I hate history." He said. "All we do is learn about a bunch of dead dudes. Whats the point?"

Tony paled at the word dead. Of course, Nat noticed. 

"Hey." She whispered, hoping Tony wouldn't hear. "Is it just me, or is Tony acting weird to you?" 

Clint looked at Tony. "Its not just you." He said. Bruce and Silvia shifted u comfortably in their seats. 

"Did something. . . Happen? " Nat asked. 

"I think you should ask Tony." Bruce said. "Hear it from him."

"Hear _what_ from him?" Clint asked. "And how come you know? " 

"Just ask him." Bruce said.

" Fine. " Clint turned to Tony. "Did something happen yesterday?" he asked. " 'Cause Bruce told me to ask you. "

Tony started trembling. "M-my parents. . . "He said, so quiet they could barely hear him. 

"You're parents what?" Clint said. 

"My parents died last night." Tony said, still just as quiet. Nat gasped. Clint, for once, was completely silent.

"I'm going to go get Pepper." Silvia said quietly. She got up and came back moments later with a confused and worried Pepper. 

"Whats going on?" She asked. "Is Tony Ok? "

Tony looked up at her and shook his head. "My parents are dead." He whispered, not sounding like he believed it. 

Pepper's eyes widened. "I-I don't know what to say." She said. 

" I don't either. " Tony whispered, trying not to cry. 

"Hey, its ok." Pepper said. " Crying is good for you. Now go ahead and let it all out. " 

Tony shook his head. "I need to be alone. " He said, right before running off to a supply closet. 

Everyone else was silent.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Nat broke the silence. "Someone should go check on him. " She said. 

"I will." Bruce said, standing up. Nat nodded. Bruce started walking over to the nearest supply closet. 

He heard muffled sobs from it, and opened the door. "Tony?" He said quietly. l

" I-i'm not here. " Tony said, his voice shaking."

"I can see you there." Bruce said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tony shook. his head. 

"Will you at least let me stay in here?" Bruce asked. Tony shook his head again. 

"Alright. " Bruce said. " But you've got to talk to someone? Ok? "

"ok." Came Tony's reply. 

"I guess I'll see you in science? " Bruce asked. 

Tony shook his head once more.

Bruce nodded and left the closet without another word, and Tony starting full on sobbing. It was just too much.

After a few minutes, he heard the door open. He quickly wiped his eyes with his shirt and tried to compose himself. The door swung open, and Hope Van Dyne walked in. 

"Tony?" She said, sounding both surprised and concerned. 

" H-hi. " Tony said, his voice shaking. 

Hope looked at him some more, and then spoke up. "Umm, this is kind of. . . Its the closet I usually. . .cry in." she said. 

" Oh. " Tony said. 

Hope looked at him a minute more,and sat down next to him. "We never speak of this again." She said. Tony nodded. "And, I'm just wondering, why are you crying?" She said. 

"I-I don't want to talk about it." Tony said, choking back tears. Hope nodded in understanding. 

Neither of them said another word to each other, as they both began crying in the peaceful silence of the closet, only broken by their sobs.

Although they had agreed to never speak of it again, they couldn't deny that they had an unbreakable bond after that. since then, they always cried together.


	11. Chapter 11

"My...my dad made this for you, Steve,” Tony mumbled, and handed the blonde a disk. It was the colors of the American flag, red white and blue. “I don’t know why. He really liked you, I think.”

Steve stared at the red-white-and-blue plastic for a moment before wrapping Tony in a big hug. “Thanks, Tony.” He said. 

Tony simply nodded in response. He looked at Steve, holding the disc. It made him look. . .different somehow, even though it was only a plastic Frisbee. Steve had been called Captain America as a joke for a while, but now he actually looked the part. 

It was then that Nat suggested playing a game with it. They were having a lot of fun, tossing it back and forth. Bucky and Steve were especially enjoying it. Bruce kind of just watched standing on the sidelines, and Tony wasn’t that into it, for obvious reasons. They were all just glad he had even shown up. It was the first time he had left his house in nearly a week.

At one point, after they had been playing for a while the Frisbee landed in his hands. He blinked down at it, not knowing what to do.

“C’mon, Tones, throw it!” Nat called. 

It was then that Tony burst into tears. 

He threw the plastic down and went to sit by Bruce. They began to converge to comfort him, but he waved them off, sniffling. “N-No. Go play. I’m fine.” 

They did as he wished, but they kept sending him worried glances. He heard them whispering, and tried to ignore it, but all it did was remind him of what had happened. Jarvis had said it would help him forget, but the game was doing quite the opposite.

Eventually, the Frisbee got lodged between two branches of a nearby tree. 

“Aww, man!” Nat cried. 

“Sorry!” Bucky called. 

“I’ve got it!” Clint raced toward the tree, grabbing onto a branch and easily hauling himself up. He climbed it swiftly, making it look easy. 

Finally, he reached the branch the Frisbee was trapped in, but it was just out of his reach.

”Careful, Clint!” Nat yelled. 

He glanced down at her. She didn’t look quite like an ant—he wasn’t that high—but a cat size seemed to be more in order. “I’ll be fine!” he shouted back. "I know what I'm doing! "

He began to stretch toward the disc. 

“Oh my God,” Nat uttered below. “He’s going to fall.” 

“Probably,” Steve agreed. 

Of course, he fell. But it was Clint, so what did they expect?

His fingertips were able to brush the Frisbee, but then he lost his grip on the trunk of the tree and he plunged forward. His chest hit one of the branches the Frisbee was resting on, but it only folded under his weight. 

He hit the ground with a dull thud and pain radiated through his side. 

The others winced audibly. 

“I thought birds could fly!” Tony shouted. 

The others turned toward him, happy to hear him joking around again.

By the time they turned back, Clint was on his feet. 

“Uhh...” Nat said. “Clint?” 

“Yeah?” he asked, bending down to pick up the Frisbee from where it had fallen. 

“Is your arm okay?” 

He glanced down at his arm, which was hanging limply at his side. “Oh, yeah, it’s fine.” 

“That is not ‘fine,’ Clint,” Steve corrected. “It’s _limp_.” 

Nat strode forward and poked it. 

He screeched. 

"Now you sound like a bird." Tony said, laughing. Clint glared at him.

Nat gave Clint a pointed look. 

“What? That noise? Oh no, I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting you to poke me. It’s just a little sprain.” Clint said

“It’s facing _backwards_.” Nat said. " That's not normal. "

He looked again. “Huh. It is.” 

“You need to go to the hospital,” Steve said. 

Clint rolled his eyes. “No need to use your ‘football captain’ voice, Steve. It’s fine. I’m alright.” 

“Leave him alone,” Thor cut in. “He said he’s fine, so he’s fine.”

Nat facepalmed. " Clearly you know know thing about what a human arm is supposed to look like. " She said. Tho

“Bucky?” Steve asked

“Yeah, Steve?” 

“You know what to do.” 

“Sure thing, Cap.” With that, Bucky scooped Clint up bridal style and started running down the street towards Small York General. They watched as the two boys grew smaller, and as Clint's protests grew quieter and quieter..

"Do you think he's going to be OK?" Bruce asked. 

Nat laughed. "He'll be fine. " She promised. "He's had worse."

"If you say so." Bruce said. 

"Far worse." Nat said, her voice suddenly quiet. Bruce looked at her curiously. Nat looked away.

"What's happened to him that's far worse? " Tony asked, echoing Bruce's unspoken thoughts. 

Nat avoided his gaze, not answering the question. 


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey Tony!" A boy called from across the hall

"Yeah?" Tony asked half-heartedly. 

"Your family tree's been looking a little. . .stark lately!" He yelled, laughing at his own joke. 

"Oh." Tony said quietly, not looking up. 

"You make fun of him again, " Bucky growled, stepping in front of Tony. His hands were curled into fists. "And I show no mercy. "

The boy laughed nervously. 

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Bucky said. "Because it isn't."

The kid backed away, and began to run down the halls. Bucky looked at Tony. 

"If he, or anyone else, bothers you, tell me ok? So I can end them." He said, looking angry. 

Tony nodded. Bucky started to say something, but was interrupted by a teacher yelling his name. 

"Mr Barnes! Get over here!"

Bucky sighed and trudged over to the teacher. "What is it?" He said. 

The teacher pointed to the boy who had made fun of Tony. "He says you were threatening him. Is this true?"

"Yes but–" Bucky said

"No buts." The teacher said. "You're suspended."

"Suspended?!" Bucky asked, surprised. 

"For a week. Now follow me."

Tony watched as Bucky followed the teacher down the hall. 

"Hey, where's Bucky?" Nat asked, sitting down at their table.

"Suspended." Tony said. "For a week."

" A whole week?! What did he do? " 

Tony didn't answer. Natasha thought for a moment. "Wade'll be glad to have some company." She said finally.

"Wait, you and Bucky _live_ together?" Tony asked. Nat nodded. 

"Yep," she said "I got moved there 'bout a week ago"

"Huh," Tony said. " Seems a funny coincidence that you got put in the same foster home as him so soon after you confessed your love. " 

Nat's face turned bright red, but she just shrugged. 

"Bobbi lives there too." Clint said, jumping into the conversation. 

"Your ex?" Tony asked. " Exactly how many people live there anyways? " Nat counted on her fingers for a moment. 

"5." She said after a little while. " Me, Bucky, Wade, Bobbi, and Peter Quill. "

" _Peter Quill_ lives there too? " Tony asked, surprised. 

Nat sighed. "Honestly." She said. "You should know these things. She looked at him, her expression turning into one of concern. "You really need to stop skipping school. " she said quietly. 

"I know. " Tony whispered. "I just can't. "

"Why?" Nat asked softly.

" I just can't. "

"Hey." Steve said. "I know how you feel. I-" His voice broke. "I've lost someone too. And I can say that shutting us out won't help."

"This is different." Tony said. 

" Is it? "

Tony sighed. "I just–I just want to go home."

* * *

" SILVIA JENKINS! " Sigyn hollered in the hall between classes.

Silvia jumped.

"Get over here!" Sigyn yelled. 

Silvia squeaked, but obeyed the other girl's command. 

"I heard you talking to Loki earlier." Sigyn said, her voice filled with venom. "Why!" She barked. 

Silvia squeaked again.

"I _asked_ you a question." Sigyn said. "Why were you talking to Loki?"

Silvia opened her mouth, but no sound came out. 

"Answer the question!" Sigyn yelled over the noise in the hall. 

" Leave her alone! " Steve said as he walked over to them. 

"What are you gonna do about it? " Sigyn taunted. 

Steve's hand curled into a fist. "There's plenty I could do about it." He said. 

" Like what? " Sigyn said, trying to stay cool, but anyone could hear the tremor in her voice. 

"Like tell Fury."

" You wouldn't. " Sigyn said, sounding uncertain. 

"Oh, I would " Steve said. Sigyn backed off slowly, and then hurried down the hall, trying to get away from him.

"You ok?" Steve asked, crouching down next to Silvia , who was trembling in a corner. She nodded slowly. "What was that about?" Steve asked her. 

" I-I don't know. " Silvia said, blinking back tears. 

"Well I promise I won't let Sigyn bother you again. " Steve said.

"Ok." Silvia whispered. 

" C'mn, lets get you to class." Steve said, holding out his hand. Silvia didn't budge. Steve 's face softened. "Do you want to skip? " Steve asked. She nodded. 

"Ok." Steve said , and Silvia grabbed his hand. He helped her up, and together they walked down the hall and to the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	13. Chapter 13

"Clint!" Edith, his mother, yelled from the hall. "Your friends are here!" 

Clint ran down the hall. "Hey." He said. They responded with a series of hellos.

"Truth or dare!" Kate yelled, running into the room. 

"What the hell, Kate" Clint said. 

"I think truth or dare could be fun." Steve said. 

Clint shrugged. "I mean, why not." He said. "Who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Kate yelled. Clint sighed. 

"Fine." He said. 

"Okay." Kate said. "Clint, truth or dare?" She asked. 

"Dare." Clint said automatically. Kate laughed. "Wait, no truth!" Clint said, seeing the evil gleam in Kate's eyes. 

"Too late!" She said. "You said dare!" She grinned. "Alright. I dare you to clean my room."

Clint groaned. "Why are you like this." He said. 

"At least you don't live with Peter Quill and Wade Wilson." Nat said. "Anyways, its your turn."

"Fine." Clint said. He turned to Nat. "Truth or dare?" He asked. 

" Dare. " She said. 

"I dare you to call a random number and sing baby shark to them. " Clint said. 

"Ok." Nat said. She pulled out her phone and typed in some numbers. 30 seconds later Clint's phone rang. 

It was Nat. 

"Seriously." Clint said. 

"You were the one to dare me." Nat said. She cleared her throat. "Baby shark doo doo" She began.

Clint turned off his hearing aids and grinned. Nat sighed. 

_Cheater_ she signed to him. Clint laughed. _Put them back in_ Nat signed

 _No singing_ Clint signed back

_Fine_

Clint turned his hearing aids back on. "Your turn." He said to Nat.

"Truth or dare?" Nat asked Bucky.

"Truth." He said. 

" Who's your favorite person in this room? "

"You, of course." Bucky said. Nat smiled, and put her arm around him. She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. 

"Enough with the pda, get on with the game! " Kate said. "Its Bucky's turn"

"Fine." Bucky said, kissing Nat on the cheek. " Steve, truth or dare? "

"Dare." Steve said.

"I dare you to kiss someone in this room." Bucky said. Steve looked around, and his face turned red..

"It doesn't have to be a kiss on the lips, right?" Steve asked.

"Nah." Bucky said.

"Ok." Steve said. He looked around the room again, his eyes landing on Lucky, Clint's dog. He walked up to the dog and kissed his head. "There." He said. 

"Really, Steve." Bucky said. 

"What? You never said it had to be a human." Steve said. 

Bucky sighed. "Whatever." He said. "Its your turn now. "

"Truth or dare?" Steve asked Tony, who hadn't said a word since they'd got there.

"Do I have to play?" Tony said. It was obvious that he didn't want to be there.

Steve's face softened. "Tony." He said. "You can't stay locked up in your house forever." 

"I haven't been in my house forever. I went to school 3 days ago. I played Frisbee with you. But I just want to be alone!" Tony his, his voice shaking, tears threatening to spill.

"You can't keep pushing us away." Steve said. 

"Yes I can." Tony got up, and promptly ran out the door.

The group sat in silence for a few minutes. 

"Whats his problem?" Kate asked, breaking the silence. 

"You haven't heard, have you?" Nat asked. 

"Heard what?" Kate replied. 

"Check the news." Nat said, not wanting to tell Kate herself.

" Ok. " Kate said, and she walked into her room. 

"Should we go after him?" Bucky said after another moment of silence.

"Probably." Nat agreed. "How far is Tony's house from here?" She asked.

"Not too far." Bruce said. "But not close enough for Tony to run there."

" He'll try to. " Nat said. 

"True." Bruce said. "But he's not supposed to be running, after what happened during football. "

"You think it could happen again?" Steve asked. 

" Maybe. " Bruce said. 

"Then lets go find him!" Steve said, already running out the door, the rest following him.

*Meanwhile, in Kate's room*

Kate walked into her room, and sighed looking at the mess. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, as well as most of her comics.

She cleared a path through the mess, and picked up her phone, opening it to the news app. She scrolled through it, passing headlines about numerous celebrities and politicians, stopping at one that said "Howard and Maria Stark killed in car accident."

She gasped. Those were Tony's parents. She scrolled through several more articles, all saying mostly the same thing, and ran back to the living room.

"Are they really–" She said, but stopped when she realized no one was in the room. 

"Never mind." She said. "You're gone."

*and we return to our regularily scheduled program

They ran down the street, looking for Tony for a good 10 minutes 

"He's got to be around here somewhere." Nat said. "He can't have run very far. "

"Who are you looking for?" A boy who looked to be about 13 years old said. 

"Tony." Clint said. 

"You don't even know this kid. Why'd you tell him that?" Bucky asked. 

"I do know him. He's Peter Parker. Goes to school with Kate. Tony's neighbor. " Clint said. 

"Oh." Bucky said. 

"You're Kate's brother?" Peter asked. " Clint, isn't it? " 

Clint nodded. "Do you know where Tony is? " He asked. Peter pointed to the park not far from where they were standing. 

"He went over there." The boy said.

" Thanks. " Clint said, and he ran towards the park. 

"Tony! " Nat called out, running beside Clint. "I think I see him!" She said to Clint. Clint looked ahead, seeing the shape of what looked a lot like Tony. 

"I think I see him too!" Clint said. They sprinted up to the figure, who was, in fact, Tony. 

They all breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

"Thank goodness you're alright." Steve said. "Just never do that again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da  
> Peter P now exists


	14. Chapter 14

The car ride to the amusement park was long, and no one could think of anything better to do than play truth or dare.

"Truth or dare again?" Clint had asked, but eventually he agreed. 

"I'll go first. " Tony said. "Clint, truth or dare."

Clint groaned. "Why me?" He asked. 

"Because I said so." Tony said. "Now answer the question."

" Fine. " Clint said. "Dare."

"I dare you to tell me the worst injury you've ever gotten."

Clint face immediately turned white. He stared down at his arm, still in a cast.

"Well?" Tony asked.

* * *

**(Hey, so this next bit is possibly tw, so if you are sensitive, to this kind of thing, then I suggest skipping this bit)**

* * *

_Clint shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the memory, but it didn't help. Suddenly he was 6 years old again, walking through the front door._

_He opened the door, terrified what would happen, desperately hoping his father was passed out. He stepped inside, trying not to make a sound. Of course, hos father was awake._

_"So, you're back. " A slurred voice said. Harold Barton was obviously drunk. Again. Clint tried to hide, but his father found him. All he remembered after that was immense pain, and then darkness._

_He woke up hours later in a hospital, his mother taking with the doctors. There were bandages around his head, completely covering his ears and blocking out sound._

* * *

**(Alright that wraps up the tw stuff I think.)**

* * *

"Clint? "

Clint opened his eyes. He was shaking, and his breaths came fast and shallowly. Everyone was staring at him, concerned, and maybe a little scared. 

"Deep breaths." Natasha said. "You're here. You're safe."

"I-I'm sorry." Tony said. "I didn't know–" 

"Its not your fault." Nat said. "You couldn't have known."

"But–" Tony sighed. "Is he going to be ok?" 

" Yeah. " Nat said. She glanced at Clint, who was still shaking. 

" 'm ok. " Clint said. 

"No you're not." Natasha said. "But that's ok." She looked out the window, at the shapes of roller coasters coming closer by the minute. "Besides, we're almost there." Clint nodded slowly . 

Fifteen minutes later, the car came to a stop in the parking lot. Premium parking, courtesy of Tony. He had paid for everything. Well, it was his money, but Jarvis had organized it all, saying that Tony needed to have some fun with his friends, take his mind off the grief. 

They walked out of the car and into the park. It was big, but not that big. Bruce, of course, grabbed maps for everyone, even though half of them wouldn't be touched by their recipients. 

"Hey Tony." Bruce said, looking at a sign near the closest ride to them. "It says here you can't ride."

"Where does it say that?" Tony demanded. 

"Right here." Bruce said, pointing to the sign. "Those with existing heart conditions should not be allowed on the ride." He read aloud. 

Nat smirked. "You can wait out here with Clint." She said. 

" I can ride. " Clint said, his voice still quiet. 

"Not until I'm sure you're ok." She said.

"Clintasha." Tony whispered . Bucky scowled. Nat pretended not to notice. Clint didn't even hear. 

"Lets just get in line." Steve said. 

" Please. " Bucky said. 

"Fine." Bruce said. He turned to Tony. "But you're staying here."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Alright mom." He said. Bruce sighed before getting in line.

Tony sat down on a bench beside Clint. "Surprised you didn't put up more of a fight." He said. Clint shrugged.

"What–what happened there anyway?" Tony asked. Clint didn't answer. Tony sighed. "You're no fun." He muttered. "Why does Bruce have to be such a killjoy." Clint shrugged again. 

"Ya know what? I'm going to go find another ride to go on. Want to come with?" Tony said, standing up. Clint shook his head. Tony shrugged. "Your loss." He said, and walked away. 

He walked to a large coaster, one called "The Python" He walked through the gate, and stood in line. The park wasn't very busy, but the Python was a popular coaster. The wait in the line was nearly 2 hours. Tony waited for about ten minutes, and then sighed and walked out of the line. At this rate, he'd never ride anything. 

Meanwhile, the others were getting off their ride. Natasha immediately went to find Clint, and Bruce followed her. They came to a stop at the bench where Clint was still sitting. He gave them a wave. 

"Where's Tony?" Bruce asked. Clint shrugged. 

"Went off to find something to ride." He said. "I don't know where."

Bruce sighed in annoyance. "I swear he's going to get himself killed."

"Its just a roller coaster. " Clint said. "What's the big deal?"

"You saw what playing football did to him."

"True, but that was once."

"It could happen again." 

"Well, too late to stop him now." Clint said. "And I think you're underestimating the arc reactor."

"We should go look for him." Nat said. She turned to Clint. "And I'm glad you're back to normal." 

"Then lets go." Clint said. They walked, towards the center of the park. The others followed. 

"He can't be far." Bruce said. 

"He could be anywhere." Nat replied, matter of factly. She looked around. "But he's right there." She pointed to where he stood, in line for something. 

"Bumper cars?" Clint said. "Seriously?" He looked at the line. "Wha'dyou say we join him?" 

"Why the hell not." Natasha said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I did not write this, my good friend on quotev did  
> https://www.quotev.com/RomanogersIsMyOTP  
> Thats her

“Bruce.”

Bruce looked up from his chemistry notes. The cafeteria was noisy, but he had a test next hour. “Yeah, Steve?” 

Steve nodded to a point at the other end of the cafeteria. Bruce turned and sighed. 

Standing up, he maneuvered his way across the cafeteria and plopped down at a mostly empty table. “Sil,” he said.

The small girl looked up from her book, startled. “Oh. Hi, Bru.” Her face immediately turned back down to the pages. 

”Why are you sitting alone, Sil?” 

“Didn’t want to bother you.” 

“It’s not bothering, Silvia. It’s improving your social health and making friends.”  
She ignored him.

He sighed and gently slid the book from her fingers. ”Sil. Come sit with us.” 

She looked up at him, with big doe eyes. “I don’t want to, Bruce.” 

“Why?” 

She sighed and gazed at his friends over his shoulder. Her eyes rested on Steve the longest, before flicking back to Bruce. “I don’t like...people.” 

He sighed again. “I know. Tomorrow?” 

She only shrugged her thin shoulders, avoiding his gaze. 

“Alright. See you at home.” He left the book in her hands and went back to his table. 

“What’s she doing?” Steve asked as Bruce sat down. 

“Hell if I know,” he replied, turning back to his chemistry. “Being antisocial.” 

Steve looked at the tiny girl, just in time to see her shove her nose back into her book. 

It was barely fifteen minutes later when Thor pointed out his brother’s girlfriend. The group watched as Sigyn marched over to Silvia’s lonely table and sat down heavily across from her. 

“Oh no,” Steve uttered under his breath as Sil looked up. 

“How does she know Sigyn?” Clint asked. 

“Didn’t think she did,” Bruce answered. 

“She’s friends with Loki though, right?” Nat said. 

Steve wasn’t listening. Instead, he was watching Sigyn and Silvia closely. He had promised he wouldn’t let Sigyn bother her again. 

That day they had skipped together, Silvia had barely spoken a word. But it didn’t feel awkward. Instead, it had been almost...calming. The silence.   
It was at that moment that Sigyn backhanded Sil across the face.   
Steve was up before he had even registered the action and Bruce wasn’t far behind. 

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Bruce roared. 

Sigyn almost fell out of the seat. Bruce was not a person you wanted to make angry, but there he was, looming over her and absolutely seething. ”B-Banner?” 

“YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE SHE’S SITTING ALONE, YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH MESSING WITH MY LITTLE SISTER?!”

By now, the whole cafeteria was watching.  
“W-Well, no, I—“

”THEN. WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?!” 

“Silvia? You okay?” Steve asked softly as Bruce continued to yell. 

She blinked up at him, eyes wet with unshed tears, and shook her head slowly. Her hand was pressed to her red, stinging cheek. 

He hauled her backpack up onto his shoulder. “Come on. You’re gonna come sit with us.”

She didn’t protest as Steve ushered her to their table.

”Let me see.” Nat pulled Sil’s hand from her face and practically growled. “That bitch was wearing rings.” 

True to her word, across Sil’s cheek were three, angry, jagged cuts, shallowly seeping blood. 

Steve felt a stab of anger. Sigyn had no right.  
He glanced back at her and Bruce. It seemed as though Bruce was about to get physical, and he would’ve jumped into action if it weren’t for several teachers trying to wrestle Bruce away. 

“I hope he doesn’t hurt them,” Sil murmured.

Steve looked at her. “I’ve seen him angry...but not like this. Have you?”

She nodded slowly. ”Once.” 

“C’mon Silvia, let’s go to the bathroom and clean out those cuts.” Nat said.

Sil blinked at Nat, but didn’t move. Nat sighed and grabbed Silvia’s hand, trying to drag her along behind her. Instinctively, Sil grabbed Steve’s hand as an anchor. 

Steve blinked at her in surprise, and she blinked right back. It was clear to him that she hadn’t meant to do it, but—

_Wait, is she blushing? Holy sh*t, she’s adorabl—_

She wrenched her hand away and lowered her gaze to the floor. “S-Sorry.”   
“N-No, i-it’s fi—“ 

Without waiting for him to finish, she brushed past Nat, muttering a barely audible “C’mon.” 

Nat glanced at Steve with a suggestively raised eyebrow, and he glared.   
She snickered before running off after Silvia.


	16. Chapter 16

"Steve! Nat! Bruce! You've _gotta_ see this." Tony yelled. 

"See what?" Steve asked. 

"Just come look." Tony said. "And bring cameras."

" Why? " Bruce asked. 

"Just get over here! Its hilarious."

"...alright." Natasha said uncertainly. The three walked over to where. Tony was standing, and immediately burst out laughing. 

Right there, in front of him, was Bucky and Clint. Now that in itself was perfectly normal, but it wasn't that they were standing there that was funny. No, the hilarious thing was that Clint's tongue was stuck to Bucky's arm. 

It was December, and Clint was rather lacking in common sense. So, he had licked Bucky's arm. 

"Hep me." Clint said, his words muffled as a result of his current predicament. 

"What the hell, Clint." Nat said. She looked at Bucky. "How?" She said. Bucky shrugged, causing Clint's head to jerk upwards. 

"Ask him." Bucky said. 

"His tongue is stuck to you." Nat said. She sighed. "You're such an idiot." She said. 

"Did you bring your phones?" Tony asked. "We gotta get this on camera."

"Don't you have your own phone?" Steve asked. 

"Confiscated." Tony said. 

"Again?" Bruce said. 

"That's not important. Now do any of you have a phone?"

"Of course." Nat said. She pulled it out. "I want this on camera as much as you do. Maybe I'll show it to Bobbi later."

"Pease don'" Clint said. Nat laughed. 

"I dunno, I think she'd find it pretty funny." Nat said. She quickly snapped a picture. 

"How are we gonna get him detached?" Steve asked. 

"Pull as hard as we can." Nat suggested. Clint's eyes widened. She laughed. " Just kidding, I wouldn't do that."

"Pour some warm water or something on the arm. " Bruce said. 

"We don't have any of that." Bucky said. 

"Then find some." Bruce replied. 

"I can't. Clint's stuck to me." Bucky said. "You know what, I'm done with this." He pulled the arm out of the socket. " There. Suffer. "

Bucky dropped the arm to the ground, Clint's face dropping with it.

"Outh." Clint said. 

"Lets get Clint's tongue off the arm now." Steve said.I

"My house isn't far, I can get some warm water there." Bruce said. He began to run to his house. 

When he got there, he pulled his house key out of his backpack and unlocked the door. "Cecelia?" He said. 

" Yes? " Came the response. 

"I'm just here to get some warm water, and then I have to go back." Bruce said. 

"Why?" Cecelia asked. 

"Clint got his tongue stuck to Bucky's arm."

"Really?"

Bruce nodded. He ran into the kitchen and started to heat up some water. Once it was warm enough, he poured it into a cup, stuck a lid on it, and ran out the door.

"I'm back." He said once he got back. He stopped, catching his breath.

" Here. " He handed the cup to Steve, who then poured it onto the arm. A plume of steam rose as the water touched the cold metal. 

"Now, pull. But not too hard." Bruce instructed. Clint did that, and, after a few minutes, his tongue came free.

"Finally." Clint said. " That _hurt_. " 

"You'd better wash my arm." Bucky said. Clint sighed. 

"I guess that's fair." Clint said. 

"How did this even happen in the first place? " Steve asked. 

"Clint's an idiot. What more of an explanation do you need." Nat said. 

" Hey! "Clint protested. 

"What? Its the truth. " Nat said. "You are an idiot." She held up her phone. "And I filmed the whole thing. I'm _definitely_ showing Bobbi. "

Clint groaned. "Why are you like this." He asked. 

"I'm your best friend. Its in my job description. Now I suggest you go wash the arm."

" Where? The school bathroom? "

Nat sighed in exasperation. "Its the third Friday of the month, remember? You're going home with me and Buck."

"Right." Clint said. The third Friday of the month was the day he went to his dad's house. Well, he was supposed to. But he avoided it as much as possible, which often meant going home with Natasha. 

"Now come on, Clint. Lets go."

" Alright, alright. I'm coming. " Clint said, and he followed them to the car.

"Took you long enough" Bobbi said, once they made it to the car. She looked at Clint, who was still holding the arm, and then at Bucky. "Care to explain?"

"I'll show you later." Nat said. "Now, lets get home."

" Wade's not here yet. " Bobbi said. 

"He can walk." Nat said. "He'll be fine."

"Alright. " Bobbi said, and she started driving. Soon, they pulled into the driveway of the house. 

"Hose or sink?" Clint asked as they got out of the car. 

"What are you doing with Bucky's arm?" Peter asked.

"None of your business. "Clint said. 

"Hose." Nat said. 

"Alright " Clint said. Nat opened the back gate and walked in, Clint following her with the arm. They quickly hosed it off and dried it, and then walked into the house. 

"Its washed." Clint said, handing the arm to Bucky.

" Good. " Bucky said as he reattached it. 

"You said you were going to show me why Clint had Bucky's arm?" Bobbi asked Nat. 

"Yep. I recorded the whole thing." Nat pulled out her phone and started the video. 

"Clint really is an idiot. " Bobbi said once they had finished watching. 

"Agreed. Its a good thing his tongue wasn't ripped out. 

"What's this about a tongue being ripped out?" Wade asked, peeking through the door. 

"Oh great. He's home." Nat said. 

" You didn't have to leave me at school. " Wade said. 

"Well we did. Get over it." Nat replied. "And no one's tongue got ripped out. Clint's an idiot, that's all. "

"Why's he an idiot?"

"Go ask him."

"Nah. Come on Nat, show me. "

"Fine. Here." Nat played the video again for Wade.

"That was awesome. " Wade said. "But it would've been cool to see some of his tongue still stuck on the arm."

"Really Wade?" Bobbi said. "Now I've got to get that image out of my head. "

"Or what if–"

"Nope." Bobbi said, cutting off whatever Wade was about to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint really is a dumbass sometimes


	17. Chapter 17

Clint walked into the school slowly. Everything sounded muffled and he knew his hearing aids were broken. He just wasn't sure how he was going to explain it to Tony. 

His weekend had sucked. Friday night was fine. Saturday morning was fine. Saturday afternoon and Sunday however–

Well, lets just say he was sporting several new bruises. It was December and it was cold, so they were pretty easy to cover up with a coat. It was the rather large bruise on his face that was the problem. 

As he walked in, he couldn't decide if it was worth it to go to school today. He could easily skip. Go hang out in an internet cafe or something. He saw no point in school. He really only went because of his friends. 

Well, if he was being truly honest with himself he only went because of Nat. She'd be disappointed in him if he skipped.

But with his hearing aids broken, and only about a fifty percent chance Tony would even show up, it was bound to be a miserable day. 

He was just about to turn around and walk away when Natasha noticed him. 

"Clint!" She yelled, loud enough that he could hear her pretty clearly, even through the broken aids. "Just where do you think you're going!"

Clint groaned and stopped. Nat walked to him. 

"Tashaa." Clint complained. 

" You've got to go to school Clint." She said. Her eyes traveled over to the bruise on his cheek. Her face softened. "Come on, Clint." She said, or at least that's what Clint assumed she said. 

"Is Tony here?" Clint asked. Nat nodded. She looked at his ears. The hearing aids were cracked slightly, and only Natasha could have noticed. 

"He broke them?" She asked, this time signing along with her words. Clint nodded. " What are you going to tell Tony? "

Clint shrugged. Nat sighed. "Lets go get them fixed." She said. Clint followed her to whee the rest of their group was standing. 

"Clint broke his hearing aids." Natasha said. 

" How? " Tony asked. "I built them to _not_ get broken."

"Just...don't ask." Nat said. 

" O...k. " Tony said, clearly curious. "Well, just give them to me and I'll get them fixed up in no time."

Clint took the aids out of his ears and gave them to Tony. The world went from muffled to almost completely silent the second they came out of his ears. 

Tony examined them, and looked at Clint's cheek. "Seriously, what did you do?" He asked. 

"I told you not to ask." Nat said. "And also, I'm glad you're back to normal."

Tony just shrugged at the last comment. "I realized..." He said quietly, while tinkering with the aids. "I realized that Howard wasn't even a good father. I hardly ever saw him when I was a kid. I don't ever remember him saying he loved me, or even liked me. And I guess...that made it easier to cope."

"Oh." was Nat's only response. Tony just shrugged again. 

" There. " Tony said. "Fixed." He handed Clint back the hearing aids and Clint put them in. 

"Y'know." Clint said after a moment of awkward silence. "I don't think any of you people with normal hearing truly understand how loud everything is. "

* * *

Steve couldn't help but notice the bruise on Clint's cheek. He knew how hard the hearing aids were to break, and he couldn't stop wondering what had happened. It was while he was thinking about this that he realized how little he knew about Clint's home life. He knew Clint's parents were divorced and he had met his mom and Kate, but he knew next to nothing about his dad. And he was pretty sure Clint had an older brother, but Steve had never met him and just assumed he was in college. 

Natasha probably knew these things. She had been friends with Clint even before his parents had divorced. She knew everything about him. 

But Steve also knew that if Clint didn't want them knowing about something, she wouldn't tell anyone that something. So there was no point asking.

* * *

While Steve was deep in thought, the conversation continued for the rest of the group. 

"Did you hear about the new kid?" Bucky asked. 

"What new kid?" Clint questioned. 

"His name's Matt Murdock, I think." Nat said. 

"Isn't he blind? " Bucky asked. 

"Yeah. " Nat said. "Supposedly he has _really_ good hearing. " 

"Maybe he and Clint could be friends." Tony said. "He could be the ears and Clint would be the eyes. Maybe he'll even have the same bad sense of humor."

"Very funny, Stark. " Clint said, rolling his eyes. 

"I'm being serious." Tony said. 

"Sure." Clint said. 

"I believe this new boy and Clint could become very good friends. " Thor said. 

"I don't even know the kid. " Clint said. A few seconds later, the bell rang. 

"See y'all at lunch." Tony said.

"Yep." Nat agreed, and they all went off to their various classes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's matt


	18. Chapter 18

Clint walked into his first period, history with Mr. Coulson. He slid into his usual seat, and noticed that there was an unfamiliar boy sitting in the seat next to him. The boy had red hair and round, red sunglasses. There was a brown cane resting beside the desk. 

Naturally, Clint assumed that he was the new kid he had heard about, Matt Murdock. 

Nat was sitting on the other side of him, and he could tell she had noticed the boy too.

The second bell rang a few minutes later. 

"Class." Mr. Coulson said. "Today we have a new student joining us. matt Murdock."

The teacher went on, but Clint wasn't paying attention. He had gotten no sleep the night before, and he was exhausted. 

"Clint!"

He woke up with a start. Natasha was looking at him sympathetically.

"Sorry." Clint said, his face red with embarrassment. He heard some of the other kids snickering. He internally groaned. 

"I suggest maybe getting more sleep. At _home_." The teacher said. Clint sighed. Like that was ever going to happen. 

-

A few endless classes later, it was finally time for lunch. Clint sat down at their usual table.

"Saw you fell asleep in class." Tony said, sitting across from him. 

"Shut up." Clint said. 

Tony shrugged. "I mean, if you could choose any class, its not a surprise you chose Phil's."

" Phil? " Nat asked, sitting at the table. 

"Yeah. Phil Coulson." Tony said. 

"I know that. Most people, address him as 'Mr. Coulson.'"

" Maybe I'm not most people. " Tony said. Nat sighed. "That kid–Matt, he was sitting next to you, right?" Tony asked. 

" Yeah. " Clint said. "Why"

"Just curious."

Tony said. "What's he like?"

"I don't know, I didn't talk to him." Clint said. By now, the rest of their group had arrived. 

"Isn't that him?" Tony asked, pointing to a boy on the other side of the cafeteria. 

"I think so." Nat said. 

"Should we ask him if he wants to sit with us?" Steve asked. 

"He looks lonely." Silvia noticed. 

Bucky shrugged. "Whats the harm in asking him." He said. 

"He could hate us." Clint said. 

"Then he hates us," Bucky said. "But I doubt that'll happen."

"I'm just saying." Clint said. 

"I'm going to ask him. " Steve said, standing up. A few minutes later, he returned, with Matt.

" Hi." The red haired boy said. His voice was quiet, which made sense, if the rumors about his really good hearing were true. Matt winced as some yelling arose from a few tables over. 

"Hi," Nat said. "I'm Natasha. Some people call me Nat. "

"I'm Matthew. Most people call me Matt."

" I'm James, though every calls me Bucky. " 

"It feels weird when people call you James." Tony said. He paused. "Y'know, it feels like no one likes the name James. You call yourself Bucky, I had a friend named James who went by Rhodey, he's in college now, and I once met a kid named James who went by Logan instead."

"That was random, but OK." Bucky said. Tony shrugged. There was a long moment of silence at the table.

"So, what do you guys want to be when you're older?" Steve asked. 

Clint scoffed. "A conversation starter, really Cap? What are we, elementary school?"

"Just moving things along." Steve said. "I want to join the army. And after that, major in some sort of art."

"I, obviously, am going to take over Stark Industries. " Tony said. "I've already been accepted to MIT, too. "

"I'm going to law school, no question. " Matt said. 

"Nice." Nat said. "I haven't really thought much about what I'm going to do. " She admitted. 

"Me neither." Clint said. He looked at Natasha. " Hey, maybe we should become super-spies together." He waved his hands in a dramatic flourish. "Hawkeye and Black Widow: Strike Team Delta strikes again. " 

Nat laughed. "Maybe." She agreed. "But probably not."

"You never know. " Clint said. 

"No one would be safe." Bucky said. "From Nat. Clint would end up in the dumpster."

"Hey! " Clint protested. 

"Its true, though." Tony said. "You would." 

Clint sighed in defeat. "Fine. Maybe I would. But then I'd sue the bad guys that got me in there in the first place. Matt, here, will be my lawyer. "

"Do you even know how lawsuits work?" Matt asked. 

" No, I don't. That's why you will educate me when the time comes. " Clint said. "And I'll obviously win the lawsuit."

" Sure you will " Natasha said. 

"The bells about to ring." Stephen Strange said, randomly popping up.

Clint yelped. "What the hell? " He asked. Just as he finished saying that, the bell rang. 

"How did you know that? " Tony said. 

" _The Mystic Arts._ " Stephen said, trying to sound mysterious. 

"Ah, a sorcerer." Thor said, seemingly unconcerned. 

"Sure." Stephen said, before disappearing. 

"That was weird." Steve said. 

"His name is Strange." Tony said. 

The group exchanged goodbyes, and then headed off to their seperate classes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp
> 
> Sorry if its awkward. I feel like its really awkward. 
> 
> Also, you will see that I have not forgotten Rhodey. He's just in college. Expect a cameo soon(ish)
> 
> And that last bit was written at 2am in the morning so its a bit
> 
> Strange


	19. Chapter 19

"Ka-ate!" Clint complained. "Do we _have_ to do this?"

"Yep." Kate said, holding a pair of scissors. "You lost the bet, and besides, you need a haircut."

"Maybe I do,but not by you. And there weren't fair odds."

Kate scoffed. "You're just a sore loser. The odds were perfectly fair. Right, Nat?"

Nat nodded. "Deal with it." she said. "What's the worst Kate can do?"

"Shave my head." Clint offered. "Chop my ear off. I could say more, but I don't want to give her any ideas."

"Oh, you've already given me plenty of ideas." Kate said, smirking. Clint groaned. 

"Just get this over with." he said. "And at least _try_ to not chop my ears off. I intend on keeping the hearing I have left."

"I'll try." Kate said. "But no promises." 

"Don't worry." Nat said. " I'm here to supervise. It won't be that bad. "

"Sure." Clint said, unconvinced. "Just so you know, if mom gets mad I'm blaming both of you."

"Got it." Kate said. "Now its time to start." She sliced the air with her scissors a couple times. Clint closed his eyes, not wanting to see what she was doing, and not wanting to get hair in his eyes. 

Kate snipped off the first bit of his hair, which felt like a big chunk. His hair was going to look awful buy the end of this. She cut off a few more pieces. Clint could hear Nat snickering. He sighed. 

"Don't move." Kate said. "Or I actually will cut off your ear."

Clint couldn't tell if she was joking. He hoped she was. 

Finally, what seemed like hours, but was probably only around twenty minutes, Kate announced that she was finished.

"There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" She said. 

"I'll decide that when I see my hair." Clint said, opening his eyes. He looked in the mirror and groaned. 

"Really, Kate? " he said, examining his reflection. "I look awful." His hair was still the same length at some spots, but at others had nearly been cut to the scalp, leaving to a very uneven look. 

Kate shrugged. "Maybe you shouldn't have agreed to the bet. " 

"How was I supposed to know they weren't gonna win the game? " Clint protested. 

"Because they suck." Kate said. 

"No they don't! " 

Kate rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned to Nat. " So, how did I do? "

"Its perfect." Nat said. "Now he looks as idiotic as he is."

"Tasha!" Clint complained. "I thought I was your best friend."

"You still are." Nat promised. "I'm jut stating the facts. You're an idiot."

"Yep." Kate said. She looked like she was about to say something else, but she stopped. "Do you hear that?" She asked. 

"Hear what?" Clint said, now curious. He didn't hear anything unusual. But that wasn't surprising.

"Of course, _you_ don't hear it." Kate said. She paused, listening. Natasha also appeared to be listening.

"I think I hear it." Nat said. 

"Ok, so how about you guys tell me what you're hearing. " Clint said. 

"It sounds like...a dog." Kate said. 

" A dog. " Clint repeated. Kate nodded. "So, why exactly does that concern you?" Clint asked. He loved dogs, but he didn't see how hearing one was unusual.

"I don't know." Kate said. "It just doesn't sound...normal."

"What do you mean?" Clint asked.

"Kate's right." Nat said. "It does sound a bit off."

" Should we check it out? " Clint asked, even though he still couldn't hear the sound. 

Nat shrugged. "Why not. " She said. 

"Then lets go. " Kate said, already halfway out the door. She barely waited for Clint and Nat to quickly put on their shoes and coats before she dashed out the door. They followed her close behind.

They left the house, and by now Clint could hear the dog. It was whimpering, and sounded hurt. They turned a corner, and there it was. A dog, lying right at the edge of the street. Kate gasped at the sight. 

"Look!" She said, although Clint and Natasha were already looking. " We have to help it."

"I know. " Clint said. "But how?"

"Take it to the vet. What else. "

"Sure." Nat said. "We just take a random dog to the vet and they fix it."

" Yep. " Kate said. "Its that easy."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know. But I'm gonna do it anyway. "

"Then do it." Nat said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"We could get kidnapped, or murdered." Clint said. "Those are bad. "

"That won't happen, Clint." Nat said. 

"But what if it does?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Lets just go."

-

"What are we going to tell Mom? " Clint asked as they walked back to his house. The vet had gone way better than he had expected. They had said that the dog was going to be fine, and that they should make sure the dog didn't belong to anyone before they took it home.

Kate shrugged. "Tell her that we found a dog in the street and took it to the vet." Kate said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Will she let you keep it? " Nat asked. 

"Maybe." Kate said.

" Well, if she does, then you have a dog now. " Nat said.

"And I still have a sh*tty haircut." Clint complained. 

Kate laughed.. "The dog needs a name." She said. "Any suggestions?"

"Lucky." Clint said. "We'll call him Lucky. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucky :)


	20. Chapter 20

Pepper Potts walked into the laboratory. It was Tony's lab, right next to his bedroom. Jarvis had let Pepper into the house. It wasn't the first time she had come over, and nor would it be the last. Tony had been spending an awful lot of time in his lab lately, and he was either working on something big, or hiding from reality. Most likely, it was both, which was why Pepper had come over. 

"Tony?" She asked. He was hunched over something, mumbling to himself. He looked up, noticing her.

"Oh, hey Pep." he said casually. She sat down in a chair, a few feet away from where he was working. 

"What are you working on?" She asked. Tony shrugged. 

"A personal project of mine." He said.

"You have a lot of those. Which one?"

"A new one." 

Pepper sighed. Of course he wasn't going to tell her. She stood up to look at what he was working on. Tony didn't try to stop her.

"Is that a...mask?" She asked, starting at it. It was red, with gold accents, and unmistakably head shaped. Tony nodded in response to her question. "What's it for?" She asked.

"I haven't figured that part out yet." Tony said. 

"Sure you have." She gave him a look. "And it better not be anything dangerous."

Tony stifled a laugh. "What are you? My mother?" Tony went silent, realizing what he'd just said. Remembering that his mother was dead.

They sat in silence for a while, neither wanting to say anything. Pepper finally broke it by awkwardly clearing her throat. 

"So, um, I should probably say what I came here to ask you. You wanna go out for some pizza?"

Tony shrugged. "Sure." He said. It was obvious he was trying to act like nothing had happened. It wasn't entirely working. 

••

About twenty minutes later, they were at a pizza place. Tony had ordered a pepperoni pizza. 

"Pepperoni sound like our names combined." Tony said. "Pepper, Tony."

" Yeah, I guess it does. " Pepper said, rolling her eyes. Tony wasn't wrong, though. She had to admit it did sound like their names.

"Have you talked to Rhodey lately? " She asked. She, Rhodey, and Tony had been friends for years. But Rhodey had graduated high school now.

"I talked to him last night." Tony said. "He's joining the military. "

"Really?" 

Tony nodded. 

"He always did say he wanted to." Pepper said. She sighed. "Its weird. Not having him around."

" Yeah. " Tony said. He had known Rhodey since he was a kid, and he missed having him around. Sure, he had Bruce, and Nat, and Steve, and the others, but it wasn't the same.

While they were talking, the pizza came. Pepper had taken him to an actual sit-down pizza place.

"Its good pizza." He said as he took a bite. 

"It is." Pepper agreed. She looked at him. "What were you working on?" She asked. "You know, when I came over."

"Something." Tony said. 

Pepper sighed. "Its a mask." She said. "That much is obvious. So what's it for? And don't go saying you don't know yet. You don't just make masks."

"Fine." Tony said. " Maybe it is a mask, and maybe its a part of something bigger. But that's all you're getting. "

"What do you mean _part of something bigger_?"

" I told you. Thats all you're getting. "

"I swear if its something stupid or dangerous–"

"Its not."

"Remember the football incident? "

"I told you. Its not something dangerous. and the football incident wasn't _that_ bad."

"You almost _died_."

Tony shrugged. "But I didn't."

Pepper sighed in exasperation. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm dating you."

Tony winked. "You know you love me. Don't deny it."

Pepper rolled her eyes and smiled. "Who says I'm denying it? You're a lovable idiot. " She said, leaning in and kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and maybe a bit awkward but Pepperony!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lemme just say ahead of time that I'm sorry  
> This was painful to write

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme just say ahead of time that I'm sorry  
> This was painful to write  
> 

Wanda was walking home from school. It had been an ordinary day. Pietro was at track practice, and Wanda didn't expect him home for another half hour, at least. 

She was at the kitchen table starting her homework when the day became not so normal. Maybe the worst day of her life.

Strucker, he foster dad, had gotten a phone call. Wanda didn't think much of it at first.

"Yes, this is Baron Von Strucker." He said. There was a pause. "Yes, I'm his guardian."

Wanda looked up. His guardian. They had to be talking about Pietro.

There was more silence on their end. Wanda saw Struckers face go pale.

"No." He whispered into the phone.

Wanda froze. Her heart was pounding in her chest. What if something had happened to him?

Strucker turned to look at her, his face pained. "Wanda..." He began. "We need to get to the hospital. Now. Get in the car."

"W-what happened?" Wanda asked. She was shaking. It felt like her legs were moving on their own as she walked into he car.

Strucker didn't say anything. He simply got in the car and drove away. Wanda was starting to panic. Obviously something bad had happened. Her mind kept flashing to one possiblity, but she tried to shove it our of her mind. It can't be true, she told herself. 

But, of course, her mind didn't listen.

What felt like endless hours later, they were at the hospital. Wanda was now panicking even more. 

"What happened!?" She demanded, nearly hysterical.

Strucker looked at her, the same pained expression on his face. "Wanda." He said gently. "There's been an accident. Pietro– he's in surgery right now. He might not make it."

Wanda felt her world shatter. She felt it before he said the words. Inside of her, she knew. Maybe it was because they were twins, but, whatever the case, she knew.

Strucker led her to a chair to sit down, and she did. She was still shaking, even more now. She shut her eyes tight, trying to imagine that she was anywhere but right there. 

Not long later, she felt something inside of herself. Like half of her had died. And, at that moment, any hope that her brother would live was gone.

A nurse walked out, looked at Strucker, and shook her head. And all of Wanda's thoughts were confirmed. It was then that she couldn't hold it in anymore. Deep, shuddering sobs wracked her body. She felt people staring at her in sympathy.

"Wanda?"

She heard Strucker, but she gave him no notice. All she felt was pain. 

"Wanda?!" 

She forced herself to look up. Through the tears, she saw Strucker looking at her, at a loss for what to do. 

"Lets go home." He said. Wanda nodded shakily. As she walked into the car, she felt like she was leaving behind every ounce of happiness she had ever felt. 

Once at home, Wanda walked into her room. Her and Pietro's room. 

She picked up her phone and dialed Vision's number. 

"V-vis." She started, but her words dissolved into sobs.

"Wanda?!" She heard him ask.

Clint was outside, walking Lucky, when he saw Vision running down the street. He looked scared.

"What's going on?" He asked. Vision looked at him. 

"I wish I knew." He said. "Its Wanda. She called me, but didn't say anything. She just started sobbing. I'm going to her house right now. "

Clint stopped walking. "I'm coming with you." He said. He looked at Lucky. "I'll take the dog. "

Together they ran the rest of the way to Wanda's house.

Wait outside." Vision said. "I think it would be best if can went in alone. To see what's going on."

Clint nodded reluctantly. 

Vision stepped up to the door and rang the bell. Strucker opened the door.

"Oh. Its you." Strucker said. Vision walked inside.

He heard crying from Wanda's room. He flung open the door.

"What happened?!" He asked. She had her face buried in Pietro's pillows. She looked up.

"P–Pietro he–" another sob escaped her lips.

She didn't say anything else. She didn't need to. Vision immediately understood. Pietro was dead. 

He simply hugged her and let her cry in his arms.

Clint stood outside the house, gripping Lucky's leash. Something had happened, he could tell. He was tempted to go inside right then, but he forced himself to wait.

His mind kept flashing to the worst, as it tended to do at moments like this. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He knocked on the door. Strucker opened it, as he had with Vision. He looked at Clint but didn't say anything. 

Clint didn't say anything either. He silently walked into the house, hearing muffled sobs from somewhere. Wanda's room. The closer he got to her room, the louder the sobs became. The door was half open, and he peeked in.

in the room, Wanda was sobbing in Vision's arms. Clint hesitantly walked inside. Wanda looked up at him.

"C-Clint?" She asked through the tears.

"What's going on?" He asked, now even more concerned, and scared. Vision stared him directly in the eyes. 

"Pietro's dead." He said. 

Clint's eyes widened in disbelief, though some part of him had suspected it all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some background that I couldn't fit in the chapter:   
> Strucker is the principal of Hydra High  
> Wanda and Pietro are his job, though I haven't finalized the details yet.  
> However, he does genuinely care about Wanda and Pietro in this au


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo its another update  
> One day late but happy birthday bucky!  
> and here's some happiness for y'all

Tony walked into Bucky and Nat's house. It was March 10, also known as Bucky's seventeenth birthday. He was the last to arrive. It wasn't a birthday party, per se, but everyone had just come to hang out.

"So. Birthday boy?" Tony said. Bucky's face flushed.

"Yep!" Steve said.

"He's seventeen now. An old man." Nat said, a smirk on her face. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Bucky " Silvia said. She smiled. 

"Thanks." Bucky said.

"You're welcome." Silvia responded. 

"Wow. I'm the youngest now. " Tony said. He had skipped a grade, resulting in him being a year younger than the rest. He could've skipped more, but according to the counselor, he needed to stay with kids his own age.

"That doesn't work in your favor of why I should keep dating you." Pepper said. "Besides. You were the youngest before now anyways."

"Actually, Sil's the youngest." Steve said. "Her birthday's in August."

"How does it feel to finally have someone younger than you? " Clint asked, smirking.

Tony paused. "I feel. Old." He said. He wrinkled his nose. "Ew. This must be how Bucky feels all the time." 

"Don't let it get to your head." Clint said. "You're still second youngest. And Silvia's only three months younger than you."

"Dammit." Tony said. "Well at least it further proves that I'm smarter than all of you. Except Bruce. He's smart."

" Hey!" Clint complained. "I invented the boomerang arrow. Without any help."

"Well have you created an artificial intelligence? No. I don't think so." Tony said. 

"That was pretty cool." Bruce admitted. 

"Uh, except for the part when it went rogue and you needed _me_ to save the day." Clint said. 

"So it had some kinks to work out. Happens to everyone."

"What even happened to that anyway?" Steve asked. Tony shrugged. 

"Are you saying it could come back?" Pepper asked. "Because that's not great."

Bruce frowned. "its a possibility." He said. "But unlikely."

Clint cleared his throat. "Enough about robots." He said. "Is there any cake yet?"

"Its not a robot! " Tony protested. "But yeah, cake is good. "

"Ah yes. Cake would be good." Thor said.

"Why do you always talk so weird?" Clint asked. 

"Why do _you_ always talk so much?" Nat countered. Clint shut up.

"Yeah, I made cake. " Steve said. "Its chocolate. With plum ice cream on the side."

"Plums are halfway to prunes, proving that Bucky's an old man. " Tony said. 

Bucky glared at him. Nat laughed. "Deal with it. You're old." Nat said. 

"Ancient, even." Clint agreed. 

"I'm _seventeen._ "

"Exactly. " Nat said. "Old." Bucky sighed in defeat.

"Ayy, the squads all here." Wade said, emerging from his room. Nat groaned. Wade patted Silvia on the head. "Hey potato."

"Hi." Silvia said in response. 

"Who wants to play some spicy uno?" Wade asked, heading to the kitchen.

"You do know how to play that, don't you?" Clint asked as Wade opened up a cabinet.

"Of course I do." Wade said, pulling out the hot sauce. He then pulled a pack of uno cards out of his pocket.

"What are you doing? " Nat said. 

"Spicy uno, obviously." Wade said as he pulled the cards out of the box. The cards were made out of tortillas. 

"What the actual f%ck. " Tony said. 

"Did someone say spicy uno?" Peter asked. 

"Yes. " Wade said. "Wanna play? "

Peter looked at the hot sauce and tortilla cards. "I'm good."

"More for me." Wade said. 

Steve looked at the game. "You know what, lets get cake now."

"Yes please." Clint said. 

Wade looked straight ahead. "I wonder what the author was thinking when she wrote this. " He mused. 

"The what? " Bruce asked. 

"Nothing. " Wade said. "We're totally not in a fanfiction."

Bruce looked at him, confused. "...Ok." He said, and followed the others into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Steve stuck candles into the cake. Seventeen of them. He turned off the lights. 

"Happy birthday to you. " They sang. Bucky sat there awkwardly, because, what else are you supposed to do?

Bucky blew out all the candles in two breaths. Then Steve cut the cake, putting a scoop of plum ice cream on each plate.

"I don't want any ice cream. " Clint said. "I'm not an old man." Nat rolled her eyes at him.

Wade poured hot sauce onto his slice of cake. No one was surprised. 

"And now, the presents. " Tony said. He handed Bucky a small box. Bucky opened it. It was the latest starkphone.

"Thanks." Bucky said.

"Y'know, I could probably out a phone in your arm..." Tony thought aloud.

"I'm good. " Bucky said. 

"Suit yourself."

The others took turns giving Bucky their presents. He got a handmade card from Clint (Its the thought that counts), some plum extract from Thor (interesting to say the least), a book on science from Bruce (which he was actually interested in), a bouquet of flowers from Silvia's garden, and a new sweatshirt from Steve.

Finally, there was only Nat's present yet. He opened up a small box, revealing a necklace with a pendant engraved with the word "Romeo." He saw a matching necklace, with the word "Juliet" on Nat's neck, right above her arrow necklace. He grinned. "Its perfect." He said. 


	23. Chapter 23

"Anyone want to go get ice cream after school?" Bucky asked one day at lunch.

"Didn't Gamora ban us from Baskin Robbins?" Bruce asked. "Besides. Its too cold for ice cream."

Clint feigned an offended gasp. "Its never to cold for ice cream!"

"There's a different Baskin Robbins not to far from here." Bucky said. He winked at Nat. "And we've got to bring Bobbi there."

"Yes, yes we do." Nat said. Clint raised an eyebrow. 

"Is there something I'm missing here? " He asked. "Because it feels like there is. 

" You'll see. " Nat said.

"Great. Now I won't stop thinking about it." Clint said. 

"I've got to admit, I'm curious." Steve said. 

"Well save your curiosity until after school." Bucky said. 

-

After school, they gathered near the parking lot. Bobbi stood off to the side, her arms crossed. She glared at Clint. Clint glared back. 

Twenty minutes later, they were at Baskin Robbins. They walked into the building.

A teenage boy with brown hair greeted them. The name tag on his apron read "Bartender." Clint could've sworn he saw Bobbi blush when she saw him.

Tony looked at the name tag. "Is your name _actually_ Bartender?" Tony asked. The boy sighed, like he got that question a lot, which wasn't surprising.

"Yeah." He said. "Luke Bartender. But I like to be called Bartender. Now what kid of ice cream do you want?"

"Wait–is anyone in your family actually a bartender?"

"No, but I want to be one when I'm older. Now ice cream?"white

Nat smirked, and looked at Bobbi. "You order first." She said. Bobbi glared at her.

"Natasha, I swear..." Bobbi said. 

"What? Its just ice cream." Bucky said. Bobbi sighed, but stepped up to order.

" Chocolate. " she said, her face turning pink. "Two scoops. In a cone. That's it."

"Is Bobbi _blushing_?" Tony whispered to Clint.

"I think so." Clint whispered back. 

"Just chocolate?" Luke Bartender was saying. "I could throw in something extra, for free."

"Umm, no thank you." Bobbi said. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

"No." Bartender admitted. "But I can make an exception, for someone like you."

" Are you _flirting_ with me? " Bobbi asked, her face now bright red.I

"Um-well, I guess I am." Bartender said, his face equally red.

"Is it weird to be shipping your ex with someone?" Clint whispered to Tony.

"Kind of. " Tony replied. "But this is cute. But I want my ice cream now."

"Then get it." Clint said. "Don't be a coward. "

"I will." Tony said. He walked up to the counter. "Alright, lovebirds, enough flirting. I would like three scoops of rocky road in a bowl with every single topping you have available."

"We're not 'lovebirds'" Bobbi said, glaring at Tony.

"Sure." Tony said.

" _All_ the toppings?" Bartender asked. 

"Yep." Tony said. "Now get cracking."

"Alright." Bartender said uncertainly. "You do know each topping costs an extra fifty cents, right?"

Tony shrugged. "I''m rich."

Bartender's eyes widened. "Wait. You're _Tony Stark_."

Tony sighed. "Yep. Its me. My dad owns–owned a multi-million dollar company. But that's not important."

" You're parents–I'm sorry. "

"I don't need sympathy." Tony said. "I need ice cream."white

"Right." Bartender handed Tony his ice cream.

"Finally." Tony said under his breath. It had been a while since he had been recognized like this. When he was younger it was more common, him being the " child prodigy" and all that. But it was less common now.

The rest of the group ordered their ice cream, and they sat down to eat it.

Bartender walked up to them, and handed Bobbi a piece of paper. Bobbi looked at it. "A phone number? " she said. 

"Its mine." Bartender said. "In case that wasn't obvious."

Clint smirked. "Finally moving on, Bob?" He said. If looks could kill, he would have been dead from Bobbi's.

"First of all, don't call me 'Bob'." Bobbi said. "Second of all, I hate you. "

"I'm aware of that." Clint said. 

" No, I think she like actually hates you. " Bucky said. 

"Yeah. I know." Clint said. 

"Maybe you shouldn't have broken up with someone who can kill you. " Nat said. 

"It was a _mutual breakup_." Clint protested. 

"Keep telling yourself that. " Nat said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well
> 
> its done
> 
> I have grown to hate this chapter over the last couple days but its done.,
> 
> Luke Bartender is my friend's oc. Bobbi and him just kind of happened. 


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey! People! There's a dance in a few weeks!" Wade said, running into the shop. They were in Baskin Robbins again.

"First of all, how did you know we were here?" Nat said. "Second of all, really?"

" Yes. " Wade said. "Why would I make that up?"

"You're Wade Wilson." Nat said. "You do lots of weird things for no reason."

"Fair point." Wade said. 

"We _have_ to go." Silvia said. 

"Well that's a given." Tony said. "Why wouldn't we go?"

Steve looked uncomfortable. "I–I don't know if I'll go." He said. 

"Why not?" Silvia asked. 

"I just–" Steve said. He sighed. His expression was pained, like he was remembering something he didn't want to remember. Silvia looked concerned..

"Steve, what's wrong?" She asked.

"I–" Steve paused. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, Steve." Tony said. "Lighten up a little. You haven't been to a dance since middle school."

"I think changing the subject might be a good idea." Nat said. 

"What?!" Wade said. "But you guys have to help me find a daaate. "

Nat sighed in annoyance. "Do we though?" She said. Wade seemed to not notice her words.

"I mean _obviously_ there's Bobbi, but–"

He was cut off by Bobbi somehow stabbing a spoon into a table. Clint jumped back.

"How the hell–"

"So, not Bobbi." Wade said, seemingly undisturbed by the table-stabbing. 

"Finding you a date isn't my problem." Nat said. "Its yours." She took a bite of her ice cream.

Wade turned to Bucky. Bucky sighed. "Why are you asking me? Besides, whatever happened to Vanessa?"

Wade froze. "You know I don't like talking about her."

"Who's Vanessa? " Silvia asked. 

Wade paused, considering. Finally, he sighed. "Only for you, Potato." He said. He took a breath. "She was She was my girlfriend a few years ago. Before I moved here to live with Victoria. I didn’t tell her I was moving foster homes. She just...woke up one day and went to my old house. And I wasn’t there. It was a bad move–I know. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her. She probably hates me now."

Silvia was silent for a few seconds, before she spoke. "Oh." She said. 

Wade sighed. "Yeah...I miss her."

" You should call her. " Silvia said. Wade looked at her.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Wade paused, trying to come up with a good reason–excuse. "It's been too long. She probably doesn't even remember me."

"Nah." Tony said. "You don't forget someone who just disappears."

Wade frowned, trying to come up with something else. He shook his head. "I just can't call her." 

"Too late, its ringing. " Bucky said. 

" _What_!?" Wade said , a panicked expression on his face. "How did you even get her number?"

"Google." Bucky said casually. He gave Wade the phone. "Take it." He told him.

Wade took it, though he clearly didn't want to. 

There was a long pause as they waited for Vanessa to pick up–or not. Finally, she did. 

"...Hi." Wade said. 

"Hello? Who is this?" Vanessa responded. 

"Its...Wade." There was another long pause. After a while, Wade set down the phone. "She hung up." He said. "See? I told you I couldn't call her."

"Oof." Bartender said. "So wait, where does she live?"

"Next Town Over. " Wade said. 

"Oh hey, my cousin works at a Baskin Robbins there." 

"She won't want to see me. " Wade said. "She obviously hates me now."

" You don't know that!" Silvia said. "Maybe she just hung up because she was so shocked."

Silvia had barely finished speaking when the phone sprang to life. Wade picked it up. 

"Wade? Is it really you?" Vanessa's voice said through the phone.

"Yeah." Wade said. It was quieter than any of the others had ever heard. It was such a sharp contrast from his usual self, it was hard to believe it was him.

"Oh my god." Vanessa said. " What–what happened to you?"

Wade sighed. "I had to move." He said simply. "That's it."

" Why? Vanessa asked. "I-I mean..why didn't you tell me?"

Wade was silent for a few seconds. "I–don't know. I'm sorry... " He left the room, to find a more private place to talk.

"That was my phone." Bucky complained. 

"I know." Nat said. "Just let him talk. "

"Fine." Bucky said. "But if he breaks it–"

"Hopefully he won't." Nat said. 

"It's _Wade."_ Bucky said. "I wouldn't trust him with anything. "

 _"I know_. But he needs to talk to her."

Bucky sighed, defeated.

A few moments later, Tony broke the silence.

" So, can we talk about what's up with Steve now? " He asked.

Nat looked at him. "Hey Tony, have you ever built a TV before?" She asked.

Tony looked at her in confusion. "Yeah, when I was like seven. But what does that have to do with anything? "

Nat ignored his last statement. "I bet you can't make one bigger than 66 inches." She said. 

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Is that a _challenge?_ "

"Obviously." Nat said. "Are you too chicken to do it? "

"Of course not!" Tony said, acting offended. He turned around to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a television to build." He opened the door and ran out of the shop. Steve breathed a sigh of relief when Tony was gone.

"So what the hell was that about?" Clint asked. 

"The TV? " Nat questioned.

"Yeah." Clint said. "What else would I be asking about? "

Nat shrugged. "We need a quality place to watch movies, obviously. Tony's place is so huge, it's a waste to be watching movies on his tiny-ass TV. "

"Yeah, but the way you brought it up was weird." 

"Was it?" Nat challenged. 

" Yeah, it kinda was. " Clint said. 

"Just leave it be, Clint." Bucky said. 

"What the hell is going on?" Clint asked–no, demanded. 

"Clint..." Nat warned. 

"What's so big that you can't tell me? " Clint asked. "That you have to cover up by talking about televisions, of all the things? Somethings going on. There's no use hiding it."

" Clint–" Silvia said, but she was interrupted by Steve slamming his hand on the table. In the background, Bartender jumped.

" DAMMIT CLINT. " Steve yelled. "WE LEAVE YOUR SECRET ALONE. WE ALL KNOW YOU HAVE ONE. WHY CAN’T YOU LEAVE MINE?!" He stormed out the building, the bells ringing as he slammed the door shut. Clint at there in shocked silence. 

Nat sighed. "Good going." She muttered.

"I-I just wanted to know what was going on. " Clint said quietly. "I didn't think he would yell at me. "

"I don't know whats going on either, but I didn't press." Silvia said. She stood up. "I'm going to go after Steve. "

"Is he right?" Bruce asked . "That you have a secret?"

Clint froze, and then buried his face in his hands. "Ugh, I'm such a hypocrite." He said, his voice muffled. 

"Clint. " Nat said. Clint looked up. "Lets just drop this whole thing. "

"Now see, I don’t know about your secret." Bucky said, ignoring Nat. "I mean, it’s obvious that you have one..."

"Just drop it, okay? " Clint said. 

"You didn’t drop it for Steve"

"Bucky, don’t. It's not a good idea. " Nat said. 

"I know I'm a hypocrite." Clint said "Just please, listen to Nat."

Bucky looked concerned. "Ok..." He said. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so damn a lot of things happened in this chapter. 
> 
> We're starting to lead up to the climax, so that's fun.
> 
> And don't y'all worry, Steve's secret will be revealed soon. 


	25. Chapter 25

Silvia stepped out of the Baskin Robbins, hearing the chime of the bells behind her. It hadn't been long since Steve had left, he couldn't be far. 

She ran down the street, looking for any sight of him. It was starting to rain, but she didn't care. She didn't see him anywhere around the store, but that wasn't surprising. He couldn't be far, but she doubted he'd be so close.

There was a park not too far away, so Silvia decided to look there. It was small, with just a play structure, and a couple benches around a grassy area. She looked around, seeing if he was there. If he wasn't, she didn't know where else to look.

Finally, she spotted him. He was sitting on a bench, his phone in his hands. As she got closer, she noticed that his hands were shaking. There was a picture of a girl on his phone.

"Steve!" She called. He looked up at her. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying.

"Sil?" He asked. Silvia sat down next to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. "Could you at least tell me what's going on–though you don't have to if you don't want to."

Steve sighed. "I–I guess you should know." he said.

"So, you'll tell me?" Silvia asked. 

" Yeah." Steve said. He took a deep breath. "The last time I went–was planning on going to a school dance was near the end of sixth grade. I was going to go with a girl, Peggy–Peggy Carter."

He stopped and took a shaky breath. "We went to go out to eat before the dance. We talked for a while, ordered ice cream, and then–and then something happened she–" He buried his face in his hands. "She got shot." A sob escaped his mouth. Silvia stood there in shocked silence, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry." She said, so quietly she could barely be heard. She hugged Steve, not knowing what else to do. Steve hugged her back, and they sat there, on the bench, in the rain, for who knows how long, until Silvia heard her phone ding. She fished it out of her pocket, reading a text from Bruce.

* * *

 **Bruce:** Have you found him yet? Your mom wants you back home soon.

 **Silvia:** I found him. Tell mom I'm going to stay here a bit longer

 **Bruce:** she won't like that

 **Silvia:** I'll be fine

 **Bruce:** fine

 **Silvia:** By the way, what happened after I left?

 **Bruce:** Clint admitted he was a hypocrite Bucky got mad at Clint and Nat got weirdly protective. 

**Silvia:** Over Bucky?

 **Bruce:** Over Clint. There's obviously something he and Nat aren't telling us

 **Silvia:** they'll tell us when they're ready

* * *

Silvia put down her phone. "Steve?" She asked. 

" Yeah? " Steve looked up. A stray tear slid down his cheek. Silvia brushed it away.

"Are you going to be OK?" She knew he wasn't right now, but she did need to leave eventually. As much as she wanted to stay with Steve, even if it meant risking the wrath of her mother, it would be better if she got home sooner rather than later. 

" Yeah. " Steve said

"I'm here." Silvia said. The rain dripped down her face. Her hair was soaked by now. Her mom wouldn't be happy with her. But right now she didn't care.

"I know " Steve said in response. "And I'm glad." He gave her a weak smile. Silvia returned the smile.

"Clint's sorry." Silvia said. Steve should know.

"Did he now? " Steve said. Silvia nodded.

"Bruce said Clint said he was a hypocrite."

"He is." Steve said. He still sounded like he was mad at Clint.

"You shouldn't stay mad at him." Silvia said. "He didn't know." She paused. "And you can still go to the dance." She added softly. 

"I–don't know." Steve said. 

"You can at least think about it." Silvia said. She hoped he would go, though she felt selfish about it. If he didn't go, she wouldn't have anyone to go with. Even though he had a good reason not to go. But he had to move on eventually, right? 

Steve sighed. "I...guess I can do that."

Silvia smiled. "Its alright if you don't go. No one's forcing you. It would just be nice. You still have a few weeks to think about it."

"I know." Steve was conflicted. Every time he thought of going to a dance, _her_ face appeared in his mind. Peggy's. But Silvia seemed so excited about the dance. It was clear that she wanted Steve to go with her. But how could he?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Writer's block is a bitch. Anyways, this kind of a filler chapter, but the next one is big

"Anyways, I finished the tv so if y'all want to come over to my house tonight." Tony was saying one day at lunch. "We could watch a movie or something."

"Cool." Clint said. "Just a warning, my mom will probably make be bring Kate."

"That's fine." Tony said. "You know that kid, Peter? Parker, not Quill. Anyways, he's gonna be there. Oh! And I've got something to show you guys."

"Besides the TV? Nat asked.

"Yes besides the TV." Tony said. "Its big. Yes, bigger than the tv." He paused. "Maybe not in size, but its more complicated, for sure."

"Its not Ultron again, is it?" Bruce asked.

"Of course not." Tony said. "I'm not a fool. Its something different."

Nat laughed. "You are kind of a fool." She said. 

"I'm not! Well, maybe a little. But still."

"Ok, can you just tell us what it is?" Bucky asked. "Because you've peaked my curiosity."

"You've gotta have patience." Tony said. Bucky snorted.

"Like you've got even an ounce of patience in you." He said. 

"Whatever." Tony said. "You can wait." Tony, however, didn't look like _he_ could wait. 

It was right after he spoke that they heard a voice belonging to Vision. If he hadn't spoken, there was a high chance Tony would have spilled his secrets right then.

"Clint?" Vision asked. There was a look of concern in his eyes.

"Yeah?" Clint responded. He too, looked concerned. 

"I'm worried about Wanda." Vision said. "Have you heard from her recently?"

Clint shook his head. "Have you?"

"Woah woah wait, what's going on?" Tony asked. Nat sighed.

"Tony, do we have to do this again? Some things are private for a reason-"

"Its fine." Vision interjected. He exchanged glances with Clint. "It'll probably be common knowledge soon anyway.

"What will be common knowledge?" Tony asked.

"I was getting to that." Vision said. He opened his mouth, but Bucky cut him off.

"Wait-is this what Steve mentioned? With Clint?" Nat shot him a look.

"No." She said. "Now how about you guys let Vision talk?" 

"Fine." Bucky said. He turned to Vision. "So, umm, what was it you wanted to say?"

Vision took a deep breath.

"Pietro's dead." He said, before promptly disappearing.

"I-what?" Bucky said. He turned to Clint. "You knew?"

Clint nodded.

Tony looked stricken. "Why do people keep dying-?" He whispered, his voice barely audible. He shook his head and looked up, trying to act like nothing had just happened, though anyone could easily tell he was troubled by the news. 

"So..." Tony said, attempting to strike of a conversation again, although any hint of one had been ruined. No one said a word, until they were interrupted, yet again, only this time by Loki. 

"Thor?" He asked, his usual smirk replaced by an expression of unease, or even fear, almost.

"What is it?" Thor asked."Did you know Hela

's coming back next weekend?"

"How did you find out?" Thor asked. Loki shrugged. Thor sighed. "Yes, she's coming. But its only for the weekend."

"But don't you remember what she did last time?" Loki asked. 

"Yes, but its only for two days."

"Who's Hela?" Tony whispered.

"Their sister. I had a run-in with her a while back." Bruce whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I hate this chapter but probably only because I spent so long writing it because like I said, writer's block is a bitch. Or maybe because its just dialogue and pretty much nothing else. But this was necessary for the plot so I had to write it. Next chapter is more fun. And it will be longer, I swear. 
> 
> In other news, I have a tumblr, where you can ask questions to the high school avengers
> 
> asktheteenavengers.tumblr.com/


	27. Chapter 27

"Clint, walk faster!" Kate complained as they walked towards Tony's house. She was eyeing a girl walking on the other side of the street, a girl with dark brown curly hair and a blue sweatshirt. 

Clint winked at Kate. "You've got a crush on her." He said. 

"What? No." Kate said, although the blush spreading across her face betrayed her. 

"Yep. You've got a crush." Clint said. "What's her name?"

Kate sighed. "America." She said. "America Chavez. Now can we just go?"

"Fine." Clint said. "But you'd make a cute couple."

"Clint, stop!"

"Fine, I'll stop. We're here anyways. We can see what Tony's big thing is."

Clint rang the doorbell, and it was opened by Tony.

"Hey." Tony said. He looked a Kate. "Peter's here. Parker, not Quill. And Loki. You can join the younger siblings club."

"But Peter's not your brother." Clint pointed out. 

"He is now." Tony walked back into the house, leaving Clint and Kate to follow him. 

"Finally." Nat, who was already there and sitting in the living room in front of a large TV. Everyone else was also already there. 

"So, spill." Bucky said. "What is it that you've been working on?"

Tony grinned. "First, we're watching a movie."

Bucky groaned. "Can't you just tell us, Stark?"

"He said the last name." Kate whispered to Clint.

"Why don't you go find Peter and Loki." Clint whispered back.

"Fine." Kate ran off to wherever Peter and Loki were, leaving Clint standing there. He sat down on the couch next to Natasha.

"So, what movie are we watching?" Bruce questioned.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kate had found Peter and Loki. They were in the basement. 

"Sup." She said. 

"Hey." Peter said. 

"I wonder if anyone would notice if I stayed here for the whole weekend..." Loki, who was flopped on a couch, said. 

"Why?" Kate asked.

"My _sister's_ coming." Loki said, the tone of his voice suggesting it was the worst thing in the world. 

"Dramatic much?" Peter said. 

Kate laughed. "He is a theater kid."

"Acting is an _art._ " Loki protested. "And she hates my guts. I'm not sure why."

"Hm. Maybe she'd get along with my brother." Kate wondered aloud. 

"Clint?" Peter asked.

"No, not him. My other brother."

"You have another brother?" Peter asked. "How come I've never heard of him?"

"'Cause he's in prison." Kate said nonchalantly. "Robbed a bank or somethin'. I'm not sure."

"Oh." Peter and Loki said simultaneously.

"Anyways. Your sister can't be _that_ bad _._ " Kate said, moving on as if nothing had happened. It may have been unexpected for Peter and Loki, but it was just a fact of life for her. 

* * *

Elsewhere, the movie had finished. Bucky stood up. 

"Okay Tony, I've been patient, now you've _got_ to tell us."

"Show you." Tony corrected. "Follow me."

He led them to one of many labs, which he explained was his, that he had had since he built his first circus board when he was for.

Clint complained that he was flexing on them when Tony mentioned that story.

Tony held out his hand, revealing a couple small red circles on his arm.

"You might want to move out of the way." He said. A red and gold piece of metal flew towards him, and covered his hand, forming what looked like a glove.

"Seriously, move out of the way." Tony said as more pieces of metal flew towards him. 

They obliged, and watched, in both confusion and fascination, as the metal plates covered Tony's body.

"Tony, what the hell is that?" Bruce asked. 

"A suit of armor. A high tech one. Obviously." Tony said. 

"Obviously." Clint said. "But seriously, why?"

"Does Pepper know?" Steve interrupted.

"Yes-kind of. I guess."

"Does Stane know?"

Tony's expression soured. "He doesn't care. Anyways, can we move on?"

"Yeah, can we?" Clint said. "I want to know what this is for."

"Its for..." Tony paused. "Well, I haven't exactly thought it through. But its pretty cool. Watch this."

He slowly, and shakily, lifted off the ground. "I haven't had much time to field test it." He admitted as he slowly gained height. "But I'm flying!"

"Its only a matter of time until you crash." Bruce said.

"Yeah, probably. But he'll be fine." Nat said. "He's like' four inches above the ground."

As if right on cue, Tony crashed to the ground.

"I'm good." He said, giving them a thumbs up. He stepped out of the suit and grinned.

"So, pretty cool, huh?"

"The part where you crashed?" Bucky said. "Or the other thing."

"Okay, so maybe there are a few kinks I need to work out. But it worked!"

"Sure, I guess it did." Steve said. "But you never told us why you made it."

"Ugh, okay fine, maybe I was going through some of my dad's notes and I found something like this and I decided to make it but that's not important."

"Why would your dad-" Bucky started, but he was cut off by Tony.

"I don't know, okay? He wasn't very open and its not like I can ask him anyways."

"Sorry." Bucky said. "I was just wondering."

"Its fine." Tony said. "Lets get some food. Imma go see if Pete and the others are hungry." He ran down to where they were, leaving the others alone in the lab. They walked out, seen as there wasn't really anything to do there, and made their way to the kitchen. 

Not long later, Tony returned with Peter, Kate, and Loki.

"So, I've got...food I guess. Just look in the fridge and poke around the cabinets. You'll probably find something to eat. I don't know. Jarvis usually makes my food."

"Alright." Nat said. 

"Shoot, I got to go." Clint said, reading a text, presumably from his mother. "Cm'n Kate." He turned around to leave.

"Bye guys." He said as he walked outside.

"Bye." Kate echoed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bunch of stuff happened.
> 
> And the plot moves forward.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a heads up this chapter contains implied ab*se. If you are sensitive to this, I recommend you just stop reading this fanfic tbh

Loki had had a terrible weekend. And a terrible Monday. And he would have a terrible Tuesday if his sister didn't leave. She had been making his life miserable since Friday night when she had come home to visit from college.

Of course, it wasn't like his life had been great before. Sure, maybe it seemed like he had a pretty good life. His dad was the mayor. He lived in a mansion, he had a girlfriend.

Except for the fact that his dad didn't give a f*ck about him and his room was the size of a broom closet and his girlfriend was a bully and a jerk that he couldn't figure out how to break up with.

Yeah, his life was just perfect.

And to top it all off his sister would be staying for a month, maybe more, and his dad cared more about her even though she couldn't keep a job for more than a week and her tavern had been shut down numerous times for health code violations.

Sometimes it felt like he didn't even exist to them. Just because he was adopted they would never consider him a real member of the family. He had considered running away, of course. But he wasn't sure how he would do so, and survive on his own. His father wouldn't care, but his mother might.

It felt like the only person who had really ever cared about him was his mother. She was really the only reason he didn't actually run away. She treated him like her son, unlike the rest of the family. Even Thor had always treated him slightly different, just because they weren't technically related.

Maybe Thor cared about him a bit, but Thor was blind to it all. He was the perfect child. The golden child. He idolized their father, he always had. He seemed to have no idea how much better he was treated than Loki.

But Hela, she hated him. Loki really didn't know why. Maybe it was just because he was adopted, but that didn't seem like enough reason.

Though it wasn't like she needed much reason. She hated pretty much everyone. But she seemed to hate him even more than anyone else.

Unlike many other students, Loki actually liked school. Although he only liked it for one reason. It was the sole thing that kept him from having to interact with his father and Hela more than he already did.

If only he could stay here forever. But, he obviously couldn't.

\-----

Clint sat in his seat, wondering how he was supposed to survive four more classes, and lunch.

It wasn't his fault he had had almost nothing to eat for the past few days and now his stomach hurt like hell.

Not to mention the throbbing pain in his arm. It had happened the night before, and he hoped no one would notice. 

Though with what Steve had said, it would be harder to hide things from his friends.

He looked up at the board, and tried to listen to the teacher, but it was hard to concentrate.

"Clint, did you hear the question?" The teacher asked, interrupting Clint's thoughts.

Clint looked up.

"Um, no?" He said. He hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but yet it did. The teacher sighed and repeated the question, which Clint half-heartedly answered. 

Unsurprisingly, he got it wrong. But it didn't really matter all that much to him. Not today, at least.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the lunch bell rang. Clint sighed in relief and stood up, wincing at the pain shooting through his arm. He hoped no one noticed.

He walked out the classroom door and stepped into the hall. He made his way through the crowd and into the cafeteria, where he quickly located his friends. 

"Hey." He said, sitting down at their usual table. 

"Hey." Nat said in reply. Not long later, Tony sat down.

"So." He said. "I revealed my secrets, now does anyone else have anything to say?" He looked at Steve and Clint.

"Tony..." Nat warned. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Fine." Steve said. "I'll talk. You all knew once. You've probably just forgotten about it."

"Okay. Spill." Tony said, now curious. He hadn't expected anyone to actually say anything.

"Peggy." Steve said simply. "Peggy Carter."

" Who–oh. Oh. " Tony said. There was an awkward silence at the table, no one quite knowing what to say. 

They all knew the name, though it had been years, and no one tended to mention her, leading to most of them forgetting.

They didn't necessarily forget about _her,_ the death of a classmate is something you never quite completely get over. But they had forgotten the connection between her, and Steve, and the dance.

But now it seemed so incredibly obvious. It made perfect sense. 

Now, with this mystery solved, they turned to Clint. At least, some of them did.

Clint shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had no intention of saying anything.

"So, umm, are you going to say anything or not? " Bucky asked.

"Not." Clint answered. It felt to be moving on from what Steve had said so quickly, and a glance at the other's faces showed he wasn't alone in thinking that.

Yet their attention remained on him. Of course, his arm chose exactly that moment to send a shooting of pain, like a lightning bolt. Over the years, he had become good at hiding pain, but there was one person he couldn't hide i from. That person was, of course, Natasha. 

She gave him a look, making it known to Clint that she had noticed. 

"It's alright if you don't want to tell us, but I just want you to know you can trust us. We just want to help with whatever's going on. " Steve said. Clint looked up, having had almost forgotten about what they were talking about.

"Its not that I don't trust you." Clint said. "Its just–I don't want to talk about it right now, okay? "

Preferably, he wanted to never talk about it. Steve looked concerned, but he didn't need to know. Clint was fine.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself. 

"Alright." Steve said. "I'll hope you'll tell us someday. "

That was unlikely. He 's be eighteen soon enough, and then he could get away from it all.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd tell them then. But maybe not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all okay I rewrote this chapter at least 5 times. I'm still not completely happy with it, but its fine. 
> 
> Anyways, we're getting closer to the climax. I've got the ending worked out but how they get there is still pretty murky.
> 
> I want to incorporate Matt Murdock more, but just can't figure out how, so if you've got ideas, comment!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically
> 
> i've given y'all a lot of angst, but this is not angst :)
> 
> Just happiness
> 
> Also sorry for the wait I was binging Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Kate walked into the school and sighed. Another day.

She was walking into her first class when she accidentally ran into America Chavez.

Of all the people, why did it have to be her?

"Sorry –I didn't mean to!" Kate stumbled across the words. This would be so much easier if America wasn't so damn attractive.

America didn't say anything to Kate. She simply smirked and was on her merry way.

She did, however, "accidentally" drop a small piece of paper. Kate picked it up, revealing a phone number on it.

Maybe today wasn't so bad after all.

If only she could muster up the courage to actually text the number.

Kate put the paper in her pocket, and walked into her class. The bell rang right as she slid into her seat.

At lunch, she pulled out her phone, and decided to text the number. 

* * *

**Kate:** Hey?

 **America:** 'sup

 **America:** Want to sneak into the high school dance with me?

 **Kate:** Sure

 **America:** cool

* * *

Kate looked up at the cafeteria, looking for America. She eventually caught her eye, and America winked at her.

Well that escalated quickly, she thought to herself. 

This would be fun.

\-----

"So, where are we going again?" Nat asked Bucky as she pulled on her shoes. 

"In 'N' Out." Bucky answered. 

"Classy." She replied. Her shoes now on, she walked out the door and into the car. 

"So, the dance is on Friday." She said once they were in the car, trying to make conversation. "That's only three days away."

"Yeah." Bucky said. "That's soon. And, just to clarify, we are going together, right?"

Natasha laughed. "'Course we are. Who else would I go with?"

"Oh, I can think of several people."

The car pulled to a stop in the parking lot. They had arrived. They stepped inside the restaurant, which, unsurprisingly, was crowded. 

"So, what do you want?" Nat asked Bucky.

"A burger and fries." he answered. 

"Animal style? "

"Nah."

"You're boring." Nat said. "Do you at least want a milkshake?"

"I'm good." Bucky said. He noticed a couple sitting not far from them. "Is that _Peter_?" He asked. Sure enough, it was Peter Quill and his girlfriend, Gamora.

Nat sighed. "Of course they're here. Why wouldn't they be. Hopefully they won't notice us. "

Naturally, Peter noticed them almost immediately. "Hey guys!" He said. " what are the odds? "

"Pretty high, apparently." Nat mumbled under her breath. "So, what bring you here?" She asked.

"A date. Obviously." Gamora said. 

"Uh huh. So what's in the bag? Nat gestured to a bag beside the table. It appeared to be moving, which was odd, but not really surprising. Peter Quill was there, after all.

"Homework." Peter answered.

"Homework doesn't move." Nat pointed out. The bag was wriggling even more now. "So what the hell is in there?"

"Uhhh..." Peter trailed off, obviously trying to think of something.

"How would you feel if I were to open it?" Bucky walked over to them, and picked up the bag, his hand hovering over the zipper. 

"Wait–No–!" Peter started, but it was too late.

Twenty minutes, and a _lot_ of yelling later, all four of them stood outside the building.

"Well, now I can add banned from In 'N' Out to my list of accomplishments." Peter said. 

"What. The. Actual. F*ck. " Nat said. "A _raccoon_? Victoria's gonna freak when she finds out. "

"His name's Rocket." Peter mumbled. 

"For the record, he was the one who opened the bag." Gamora pointed out, gesturing to Bucky.

"Oh sure." Bucky said. "Blame me and not the one who _brought a raccoon to In 'N' Out."_ He looked at Gamora. "Why'd you even let him do it?"

 _"_ He was lonely." Peter insisted. "I couldn't just leave him!"

"Well maybe if you had left him, we wouldn't be _banned from In 'N' Out!_ " Nat yelled.

"She does have a point." Gamora said.

"Oh, so no one's gonna take me and Rocket's side?"

"Why would anyone?" Bucky said. "You're an idiot."

"Definitely. " Nat agreed. Gamora nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well y'all 
> 
> This isn't what I had originally planned for this chapter but it happened so here we are.
> 
> In other news, I have the rest of this fic planned out. Don't worry, its not over yet, but it probably will be by the end of the summer. We'll see what happens. 


	30. Chapter 30

Tony sat in a chair in his lab, a pile of empty soda cans beside him. The news was playing in the background. He looked a his suit. He had made it, but now he had to figure out what the hell to do with it.

The news droned on in the background, and it was then that he remembered something. Back in eighth grade, him and his friends had had a conversation about superheroes. It was around the time the new Batman movie had just come out in theaters, and they were discussing what they're superpowers would be.

Thinking about it, and looking at the tv, it dawned on Tony what the suit was for. It seemed do obvious now, and he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it. 

He put on the suit, and left the house. Once outside, he looked around. In the movies, it always felt like there was a lot more crime. And super villains. But here, there was hardly anything.

At least not that he could see. He launched into the air, deciding to survey the city. It seemed to work in the movies. He heard sirens in the distance. Maybe that was something.

Tony headed in the direction of the sirens. The suit was working surprisingly well, giving its limited testing. Soon, the flashing red and blue lights from police cars came into view. He looked down, and realized that people were staring at him. He saw several people holding up phones, no doubt taking pictures or videos of him.

The suit definitely wasn't for stealth. 

He hovered over the scene, trying to decide whether or not to intervene. He still wasn't sure what exactly was going on. It appeared to be a robbery, and it didn't even look like a big store. Maybe the police had it under control. 

Well, there was only one way to find out. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

\----

Pepper Potts was scrolling through the news on her phone, when something caught her eye.

"Mysterious robotic man shows up at crime scene" the headline read, accompanied by a zoomed in picture of something that looked very familiar. Tony's suit. 

Of course he was trying to be a superhero. Why wouldn't he?

Pepper quickly closed out the news and texted Tony.

* * *

 **Pepper:** Tony, wtf?

 **Pepper:** What are you doing?

 **Pepper:** Tony

 **Pepper:** TONY

 **Pepper:** Fine, i'm calling rhodes

* * *

It was no use. He wasn't answering. He didn't answer when she called him. 

She wasn't surprised. Pepper dialed Rhodey's number, and waited for him to answer. Thankfully, he did. Pepper wasn't sure what she would have done if he didn't pick up.

"Hey Pepper." Rhodey's voice said through the phone. "What's up?"

"Hi." Pepper said. "You should check the news for here. There's something you might want to see."

"Alright." Rhodey said. There was a pause. "The metal guy?" He asked Pepper.

"Yeah." She said. "Well...that's Tony."

"That's _what?_ "

"Tony. Could you try calling him? Hes not answering me."

"Of course, but can we go back to the part where he _built a metal suit_?"

"You can ask him yourself. Assuming he picks up."

"Oh he better pick up." Rhodey said. "If he doesn't, I will personally go over there and find him." 

\-----

Tony landed on the ground amid the flashing lights.

"Sup." He said. There was a clamor of voices, overlapping each other so much that he had no idea what any of the people were saying. 

Something popped up on the screen he had built into the helmet. Rhodey was calling him. He had already ignored several of Pepper's texts, so it wasn't surprising that Rhodey was calling. He supposed he'd better answer.

There was the problem, however, of the fact that there were at least fifty people staring at him, watching his every move, clamoring for his attention the

Maybe the superhero life wasn't so great after all.

After making sure that no one, aside from Rhodey, could here him, and he answered the phone.

"Tony Stark, _what the hell?_ " 

"Oh, so I can't do anything without you and Pepper yelling at me? "

"You built a _metal suit,_ Tony. You're on the news. What did you expect us to do?"

"Admit it, you think the suit is cool."

Rhodey sighed. "Yeah, you're right. It is pretty cool. And maybe I want one. But still. You can't just do this. You could get hurt. Or worse."

"I've been hurt before, and I survived. And I didn't have any metal suit to protect me then."

"Tony..." 

"I'm fine, Rhodes. You can stop worrying about me."

"You know I'll never stop worrying about you. You've already had enough near death experiences, I don't want to see you have any more."

"I'll make sure I don't."

Tony hung up, and turned back to face everyone else. 

"Who are you?" Seemed to be the most common question, of the ones he could make up. It was a good question. Tony had no idea what to call himself. He obviously couldn't tell them that he was Tony Stark. The press would have a field day.

Unable to come up with anything, Tony said nothing. The media would come up with something. They were good at that sort of thing. 

He pushed his way through the crowd, and into the store. He honestly had no idea what he was doing. The movies made it seem so simple, you walk into the store, see the robbers, and give them to the police, with maybe a small fight scene. 

Tony, however, did not have such luck. He walked into the store. He didn't have any trouble getting inside, which was surprising. He supposed a man in a metal suit was pretty intimidating. From what he could see, the store seemed to be empty.

A crash sounded behind Tony, and he turned around. He didn't see anything. His mind automatically jumped to 'invisible super villain', which was very unrealistic. It was more likely a small animal, or someone throwing something. He preferred those over a super villain, though a super villain would be a lot cooler. Tony wasn't looking for an arch-nemesis, however. He already had what one could consider enemies.

He began to walk slowly around the store, trying to find whatever it was that made the crash. He hoped the crash wasn't just his imagination.

After about fifteen minutes, it felt like Tony had searched the entire building. He had found nothing, and he knew he had to get back to his house soon. Reluctantly, he turned around and flew back home, ignoring the people shouting at him.

He touched down in front of his house and opened the door. On the other side stood Pepper, her arms crossed. He walked inside, and stepped out of the suit, leaving it in a pile on the floor.

"Tony!" Pepper glared at him, although he could tell she was fighting off a smile.

"Hey." Tony said. Pepper rushed up and hugged him. 

"I swear, Tony, you do that again..."

"I'm fine, Pep. Nothing happened. "

"Well something could have." Pepper insisted. "You almost died playing football, remember?"

Tony sighed. "Why do you guys always have to bring that up? "

"So you don't do something stupid like that again. "

Tony paused. "Yeah that's actually a good point. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take this, " he gestured to the suit on the ground. "to my lab."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something a bit different. I had fun writing it.


	31. Chapter 31

Wanda sat on her bed, scrolling through the news on her phone. She hadn't been to school it what felt like forever. She wasn't sure when she would come back.

She glanced at the empty bed next to hers. They had never gotten rid of his stuff. No one had even touched it. Wanda wasn't sure if she wanted it all to be gone, or for it to stay there forever. A tear slipped from her eye and onto the phone. Wanda tried to wipe it away, accidentally opening an article. She was about to exit it when she read the title.

" _Death of local high school teacher's adopted son may have been a part of something more sinister."_ the title read. Wanda froze, and scrolled down to read the article.

She sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, not sure whether to believe it or not. Eventually she decided to have Vision come over, and, after thinking about it for a moment, Clint as well.

Not long later, there was a knock on the door. Wanda got up to open it. Vision was standing there.

"Wanda? Are you alright?" He asked. He sounded concerned. He was always concerned about her.

"I don't know if I'll ever be alright. " Wanda replied softly. "But, I have something I need to show you. And Clint, when he gets here."

As if on cue, she spotted Clint down the road. It didn't take him long to make it to her door.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked. 

"I'll show you." Wanda said, leading them to her room. She sat down on her bed and showed them the article. She waited, watching them read.

"Do you...do you think it's true?" She ventured, after she was sure they both had to be done reading.

" It's possible, but–" Vision started, but Clint interrupted before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"I vote we murder whoever did this."

"Clint–" Vision tried, but Clint didn't let him speak.

"Let me look it up. If it is true, I'll track them down myself." Clint said. He sounded so confident. And maybe Wanda did want to listen to Clint, but some part of her brain told her to listen to Vision.

"Clint, maybe you should let him speak. " Wanda said softly. 

"Fine." Clint said.

"As I was trying to say, this could easily be clickbait and we should get more information before we act on impulse."

"Well then lets get more information. " Clint pulled out his own phone and began to type. He scrolled through several articles, before looking back up at Wanda and Vision.

"Its not just one article." He said. "I don't think its clickbait." 

Clint was trying to remain calm, to keep his voice steady. That was obvious. But it was also obvious that he wasn't doing a good job at it.

Wanda leaned in, looking over Clint's shoulder at the various articles. She took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. Somehow, however, she wasn't surprised.

All of a sudden, Wanda heard talking from another room. It was Strucker, and it sounded like he was on the phone, something that wasn't out of the ordinary, but for some reason– maybe it was the tone of voice, or maybe she was just paranoid, but something about it sounded strange.

"Is it just me, or does that sound weird to you? " Wanda asked. Immediately after she said it she felt dumb. It was probably nothing.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something weird about it.

"The talking?" Vision asked. Wanda nodded. Vision was silent for a second, listening. "You're right." He decided. "I'm not sure why, but you're right."

"I'll trust your judgement." Clint said. "Can you understand what they're saying?" Both Wanda and Vision shook there heads. 

"Oh!" Clint said. "I could call Daisy. She could hack into his phone and listen in."

Daisy Johnson was well known around the school for being able to hack into anything. Once, she hacked into Principal Fury's personal computer, or at least that's what people said. Which made her a good person for this. The only problem was that none of them knew her very well. Clint had met her a couple times, even gotten her phone number, but they were barely friends. Acquaintances was a more accurate term for it.

"Okay." Wanda said.

Clint dialed the number, and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey." He said when she finally did.

" Clint? Why the hell are you calling me? " There was a short pause, and Clint tried to start explaining, but he was cut of by Daisy. 

"Let me guess. You got dumped again and need a date to the dance. "

"What? No!" Clint said. " First of all, I didn't get dumped the first time. Bobbi–" Clint sighed. "I need you to trace and listen in to a phone call."

"What are you doing?" 

"I don't have time to explain." Clint said. He turned to Wanda. "what's his phone number?"

Wanda told him, and Clint told Daisy.

"Okay." Daisy said. "Just give me some time." She paused. "And I need a derailed explanation after this is done." Daisy hung up.

Around ten minutes later, Clint's phone rang. 

"I'm in." Daisy said. " Okay, so I'll just play the call. You all can listen. Though, it won't make much sense unless you know German." She became quiet, and the phone call began to play.

The voices were Strucker, and Mr. Sitwell, according to Vision. None of then were fluent in German, although Clint knew a few words.

But there was one thing they did understand. Names. And there was one name in particular that was repeated.

Tony stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisy!
> 
> I wasn't originally going to put her in this chapter, but here she is. 
> 
> Anyways, the plot thickens. 


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: mentioned/implied ab*se

Clint walked out of Wanda's house, his head spinning with thoughts. What was going on? 

There was only one thing he knew for sure, and that was that it wasn't good. And that it definitely wasn't something that happened to the average teenager.

"I knew Hydra sounded like an evil name." Daisy had said before he left. The words kept echoing in his brain.

Evil. It felt like such a strong word. Something you'd only hear in fiction. Good vs evil. Nearly every work of fiction contained it.

But not the real world, right? Superheroes and super villains were all fiction, all fake. 

But Tony's suit wasn't. 

He knew there were bad people in the world–he'd had firsthand experience with it. But evil felt too strong an accusation.

But maybe he was overthinking it. He supposed that terrorists were evil. Murderers, and kidnappers and all the other horrible people were evil.

Maybe his father would be considered evil.

Throughout all these thoughts, Clint had stopped paying attention to where he was going.

But here he was. The house that made his stomach turn with dread every time he looked at it. His fathers house.

Thankfully, he wasn't here to actually go inside. Aside from his room.

Conveniently, there was an easily climbable tree right outside his window. And the window was always unlocked. All he had to do was climb in and climb out. he was just grabbing a few of his things.

It all went fine, nothing out of the ordinary, although there was an eerie emptiness to the house. Something felt off. He heard police sirens in the distance, nothing strange, but it gave him a weird feeling, though he wasn't sure why.

Clint nearly jumped as his phone starting ringing. He picked it up, and saw that his mother was calling him. 

"Mom?" He asked into the phone. He tried to stay quiet, because there was a small chance his father was home, and Clint didn't want him hearing anything.

"Clint, honey, you should come over here. And bring your things."

" Why?" Clint asked, his heart racing. Something must have happened, or she wouldn't have called.

"I'll explain when you get here." 

"Okay." Clint said uncertainly. His mother hung up, and Clint was left with silence.

He didn't have much at his father's house, mostly just his backpack and a duffel bag with clothes, and his bow and arrows buried at the bottom. He didn't need much.

So he grabbed both bags, and climbed out the window. 

It wasn't that long to his mom's house, but with two bags to carry, it took him a bit longer than normal. 

Finally, after what felt forever, he arrived at his mom's house. He pulled out his key and unlocked the door.

"Mom?" 

His mother appeared in the entryway, and immediately wrapped him up in a hug.

"What's going on?" Clint asked. He looked up at his mother. She didn't seem scared, or even worried. She almost seemed relieved.

"He was arrested."

She didn't have to say the name. They both immediately knew who she was talking about.

Clint could hardly believe it. "Really?" He asked. "What– what happened?"

"Drunk driving." His mother said. "There was an accident, and they're saying he'll get up to five years in prison."

Five years didn't seem like nearly enough. But by the time that was up, Clint would be an adult. 

But the idea of spending five years without his father seemed too good to be true. An idea lurking in the back of his mind that he always wanted, but never expected to happen.

But here is was.

It was while he was thinking about that that Kate came running down the stairs.

"Clint!" She too wrapped him up in a hug, after his mother let go of him.

"You can stay here all the time now." Kate said. "Lucky will like that. He misses you when you're not here, you know."

"I bet he does." Clint said. Kate let go of him, and he went to his room.

He set his bags down, and decided that Nat should know about this. So he pulled out his phone and texted her.

* * *

 **Hawkeye:** he got arrested

 **Hawkeye:** my dad

 **Black Widow:** really?

 **Hawkeye:** yeah

 **Hawkeye:** 5 yesrs

 **Hawkeye:** years

 **Black Widow:** wow

 **Black Widow:** are you going to tell them?

* * *

Clint froze. Would he tell them? His friends had been pestering him about his "secret" for weeks, ever since Steve's outburst.

They might see it, he realized. If it was on the news. Then he would have to tell them.

He hoped they wouldn't see it.

* * *

 **Hawkeye:** only if i have to

* * *

Oh, how he hoped he wouldn't have to.

But with his luck, he probably would, if he was being honest. Or Nat would make him. He supposed they deserved to know, but he really didn't want to see how they'd react. He didn't want to be treated any different. He just wanted to be a normal teenager. But he wasn't. 

Clint rubbed a bruise on his arm. It would be gone soon, and there wouldn't be anymore to take its place.

At least not any more from him. 

But there were some wounds that wouldn't heal with time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy y'all


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: ab*se

* * *

****Clint walked into school. The dance was tomorrow, he remembered as he walked past an advertisement.

But that seemed a trivial thing, compared to everything that had happened the day before. He had to tell Tony, and the rest of his friends, what he had heard at Wanda's house. Even if he hadn't understood most of what had been said, he still knew it wasn't good.

He saw Natasha, and walked over to her.

"Hey." She said. 

"Hey." Clint replied.

"Are you going to tell them? " Nat asked. It was the same question she had asked the night before, and Clint had the same answer.

"Only if I have to." He paused. "Besides, I have something else you guys need to know."

Natasha gave him a questioning look. "Oh?" 

"We can talk more at lunch." Clint said. "There'll be more time."

"Fine." Natasha said. 

\------

The day seemed to go by too fast. Clint didn't want lunch to come, r once. Especially since he had Mr. Sitwell before lunch. The same man he had heard in the phone call the previous day.

Tony needed to know about it, and Clint wasn't going to hide that from him. But it was figuring put how to tell him, and everyone else, about it. 

But here was, walking out of the classroom on the way to lunch.

He sat down at their usual table. He was the first one there, leaving him with nothing really to do, no one to talk to. He looked around at the lunch room, trying to steady his nerves. He saw Daisy and a few of her friends chatting at a table not too far from him, and Matt Murdock with another group of kids.

He didn't have to wait too long for someone else to arrive, though it felt like longer. It seemed to take them longer than usual, but maybe that was just him.

Bucky came first, sitting down next to Clint. "Hey." He said. 

"Hey." Clint replied. 

Not long later, everyone else was at the table. 

"I think Clint has something to say." Natasha said. She gave him an expectant look.

Clint took a deep breath. "Well–" he started, but he was interrupted by Tony.

"Does it have anything to do with this?" Tony held up his phone, which had a news article opened up on the screen. "Small York resident, Harold Barton, given five years after drunk driving accident." The screen read.

Clint froze. "No–not this thing, at least."

"So what is it?" Steve spoke up this time. "What do we need to know?"

" Well, " Clint started again. "Yesterday, I was at Wanda's house, and we overheard a phone call." He paused. " It was between Strucker and Mr. Sitwell."

"And?" Bucky asked. 

"And it was mostly in German, so we didn't understand much, but it wasn't good. And they mentioned you, Tony. " 

Everyone went silent. They all turned to look at Tony, who seemed unbothered.

"So, people maybe want to hurt me. Big deal." He shrugged.

" Tony... " Silvia started.

"What? I'll be fine, you know. Worse things have happened. Now I want to know more about this." He held up the article again. 

Natasha looked at Clint, as if telling him to talk about it. Of course this had happened. He had hoped it wouldn't, but with his luck, he wasn't surprised. He had told her he would only talk if he had to.

"Fine." He said. "Maybe that's my dad. Maybe he's not a good person. " He paused. They were all staring at him. He wished they wouldn't.

"Maybe I don't like to talk about him."

Clint stood up and started walking away. He couldn't do this. 

"Clint!" Bucky called, but Nat stopped him.

"Let him go. " She said. "It's not an easy thing to talk about." Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up.

* * *

 **Hawkeye:** you can tell them

* * *

Natasha looked up at everyone. "He wants me to explain. " she said.

"Alright, then, talk." Tony said.

Natasha didn't speak for a minute, trying to figure out how to say it. Finally she took a breath. "So, you know Clint's parents are divorced. Well, you don't know the why. His father...well, he drinks a lot. And when he's drunk, he tends to get violent." She looked at everyone's faces. There was a range of emotions. Shock, concern, even anger.

"His parents divorced when he was six. It was after Clint was hospitalized for over a month because of his father."

There was a stunned silence around the table. No one had any idea what to say.

"I–had no idea." Steve said. 

\----

Clint sat in a bathroom stall, staring at his phone. Nat had never texted him back. He assumed she was talking to them.

He knew they would look at him differently from now on. maybe that was part of the reason he had never told them.I

He looked at the time. Lunch was nearly over, and he had to go back and grab his things. He didn't want to face any of them, but he didn't want to be late for class either, so he stepped out of the stall and walked back to the lunchroom.

He grabbed his bag and started to walk away. They were all staring at him, he knew. But he didn't want to talk to them.

"Are you ok?" Silvia asked. Clint turned around.

"Depends on your definition of ok." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	34. Not a real update

Ok so I haven't updated this in a while and I don't know when I'll update it again but I feel like I need to say some things instead of just not saying anything.

First, some shit happened that I'm not going to go into detail of but it relates to this fic and yeah

Also I have sort of fallen out of love with the marvel fandom, I watched avatar: the last airbender and it sort of took over my life.

So yeah. Maybe when wandavision and new marvel content comes out I'll be more motivated, but this is where I am right now.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment! It brings me joy and fuels my soul


End file.
